


How to Get Over Heart Break: A Ten Step Guide by Kuroo, Daichi, Bokuto, Ushijima, and Oikawa

by butterfly_wings



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Banter, Breakups, College AU, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Modern AU, Road Trips, a lot of mentions of cane's and dutch bros, but the next gen captains show up too, no beta we die like daichi, primarily focuses on the captain squad, so much banter omg, this isn't really shippy it's just captain squad shenanagins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:01:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26874850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterfly_wings/pseuds/butterfly_wings
Summary: It isn't fair that all five of them should suffer nasty break-ups in the same two weeks. Maybe they should stop wallowing on the couch and do something new.(or, how to get over heartbreak, make new friends, cherish the ones that you have, but most importantly, how to live)
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Bokuto Koutarou/Shirofuku Yukie, Ennoshita Chikara/Terushima Yuuji, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, Michimiya Yui/Sawamura Daichi, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Past Relationships - Relationship, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Semi Eita/Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 89
Kudos: 421
Collections: My favorite haikyuu fics





	How to Get Over Heart Break: A Ten Step Guide by Kuroo, Daichi, Bokuto, Ushijima, and Oikawa

**Author's Note:**

> blackpink dropped [lovesick girls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyRsYk0LyA8&ab_channel=BLACKPINK) and i was like "these are some good vibes!!" and then four (or is it five now) days later this fucking thing was on my computer. other than that, i don't know where it came from.
> 
> kat and annabella, this one's for you <3

**Step One: Wallow**

Kuroo walks into his apartment to see his three housemates huddled on the couch, eating ice cream and watching a sappy romantic movie.

“Welcome back, Kuroo,” Daichi greets him. Beside him, Bokuto is crying. Ushijima sits quietly next to Bokuto, patting his back, but he does offer Kuroo a nod.

“Are you three wallowing again?” Kuroo asks.

“Yes,” Daichi says, taking a bite of ice cream from the carton in his lap. “Do you want any ice cream?”

“Please,” Kuroo says, stomping into his room to put on sweatpants and old shirt. He re-enters the living room and flops next to Daichi. “I’m officially joining the heartbreak club.”

“It’s not a club,” Bokuto says through his tears. “It’s just four sad roommates who all had the misfortune to break up within the same two weeks.”

“You technically don’t live here,” Ushijima points out.

“Don’t remind him,” Daichi grumbles, but it’s too late: Bokuto starts crying harder.

“I don’t know what I did wrong,” Bokuto wails, and Kuroo sighs but reaches across Daichi to pet his friend’s hair.

“None of us do,” Daichi says in some approximation of comfort. “But, Kuroo? You said you were joining the club?”

“Still not a club,” Ushijima points out.

“Right,” says Kuroo. He doesn’t want to talk about it, but, well. First, Bokuto and his (ex) girlfriend, Yukie, finally ended things (badly. Very badly. Bokuto is now living with them until their lease ended in a month, and they’re already planning on getting a larger apartment that could hold the four of them), then Daichi ended his three-year long relationship with his (ex) girlfriend, Michimiya (more like she broke up with him), and then four days ago Ushijima caught his (ex) boyfriend, Semi, with another man. To say that it had been a rough past few weeks in the romance department for most of their friend group was…well, an understatement.

He rakes his hands through his hair and sighs.

“I walked in on Kenma making out with Hinata,” Kuroo confesses. “So, I guess that ship has sailed.” He tries to keep his voice light (he definitely fails). His friends all give him pitying looks.

They all know that he’s had the biggest crush on Kenma since forever.

“Have some ice cream,” Bokuto sniffs, shoving his carton into Kuroo’s hands. The pint of chocolate ice cream is half gone already, but Kuroo appreciates the gesture nonetheless.

“Thanks,” he says, taking a bite and feeling a few tears gather in his eyes. “So, I’m joining the wallowing. What movie is this?”

“Pride and Prejudice, 2005,” Ushijima says. “The better one.” On screen, Lizzie Bennet rejects Mr. Collins’ proposal. “We’ve been watching romance movies all night.”

“Who chose this one?” Kuroo asks, leaning onto Daichi.

“Ushijima, obviously,” says Daichi. He yawns. “We should get more ice cream.”

No one moves from the couch.

They stay like that, Pride and Prejudice playing on the screen, Bokuto’s quiet sniffles as background noise. Daichi has his arms around both Bokuto and Kuroo, and at some point he starts carding his fingers through Kuroo’s hair. It’s nice, Kuroo thinks, putting more of Bokuto’s chocolate ice cream in his mouth.

Darcy is declaring his love to Lizzie (for the first time) when their apartment door unlocks and the fifth and final member of their friend group enters.

“Oh, you’re all wallowing,” Oikawa declares, kicking off his shoes. “Thank fuck. Iwa-chan and I broke up again.”

“You guys will get back together in like a week,” Bokuto sniffs. “Stop appropriating heartbreak culture.”

Kuroo looks over at Oikawa, taking in the redness surrounding Oikawa’s eyes and how messy his hair looks.

“What happened?” he asks warily.

“Iwa-chan and I broke up,” Oikawa says, voice kept carefully light. Kuroo feels Daichi turn to look at Oikawa, and he knows that his instincts are right: this time, it’s worse.

“For real this time,” Oikawa finishes, waving his hand. “But I brought some ice cream!” He holds up a plastic bag and grins widely.

He looks like a madman, Kuroo thinks.

“…Oikawa,” Ushijima says. “Are you okay?”

Apparently, that’s all it takes before Oikawa bursts into tears.

“He threw out the key chains and some of his photos and the Godzilla plushie I got him for his birthday,” Oikawa blurts through clenched teeth and giant sobs. “And he left his key. He said he was going to live with Mattsun and Makki for a while and he hasn’t contacted me since.”

“Oh, Oikawa,” Bokuto says. “Come here.” He holds out his arms, and Oikawa wastes no time draping himself over all of their laps and tugging a blanket haphazardly over himself. Kuroo ends up with Oikawa’s head in his lap.

“Why is Tetsu-chan here?” Oikawa asks, wiping his eyes. He looks up at Kuroo and squints. “Shoot, you look bad. Did Kenma reject you?”

“I walked in on him and Hinata kissing,” Kuroo says.

“Oh.” Oikawa reaches up (nearly smacking Daichi in the face as he does) and pats Kuroo’s hair. “What a mess we are.”

“Feels like we all got cursed,” Bokuto agrees. “Doomed to failed romances within the same time frame.”

“Yui and I should have broken up a while ago,” Daichi says thoughtfully. He’s definitely holding up the best out of the five of them, but he has done his fair share of crying the past week. He sinks into the couch and sighs. “Maybe we need a change.”

“A change would be good,” Ushijima agrees. He’s staring at his pint of ice cream like it holds the secrets of the universe, which is bad, because Ushijima really, really likes Pride and Prejudice (the 2005 version). “Oikawa, would you like to move in with us when our lease is up?”

Oikawa scowls. “Even though I laughed when you said Semi cheated on you because I thought you were making it up?”

“Yes,” Ushijima says. “I probably could have been a better boyfriend to him, anyways.”

“That doesn’t mean you deserve to get cheated on,” Kuroo snaps.

“Yeah,” Bokuto agrees, still sniffling a little. “I mean, Yukie was right about me, but she didn’t have to yell it all at me before leaving.”

“Oikawa, you’re welcome to move in with us,” Daichi says, taking back control of the conversation before it dissolves into further heartbreak. “But that’s not I was talking about. I think we should do something.”

“We could go to a bar,” Kuroo suggests. He’s all for wallowing, but sometimes, a guy wants to drown his sorrows in alcohol. And getting drunk sounds incredibly appealing right now.

“I look terrible,” Oikawa declares. “I cannot.”

“All of you would take far too long to get ready if we went right now,” Daichi says.

“I don’t take that long,” Ushijima corrects. “You take longer than me.”

“Bokuto, Kuroo, and Oikawa would take far too long,” Daichi amends. “But that’s not what I was going to suggest.”

“Maybe we should watch an alien movie, instead of something romantic,” Oikawa says. “Romance movies when you’re nursing a broken heart is never a good idea.”

“You can put on E. T. once this one’s over,” Bokuto tells him, patting Oikawa’s thigh. “Can you pass me some ice cream?”

“No, guys, can you just let me talk?” Daichi asks.

“…Can I get some ice cream first?” Bokuto asks, with a truly pathetic sounding sniffle to punctuate it.

Kuroo sighs but reaches over to grab the ice cream from where Oikawa left it on the floor. “What flavor?” he asks.

“Anything with chocolate,” Bokuto says. “And maybe some brownie pieces?”

“Here,” Kuroo says, passing the ice cream over Daichi, who’s looking increasingly annoyed. “Do you need a spoon?”

“Yeah,” Bokuto says.

“There’s some in the bag,” Oikawa says.

Kuroo pulls out a spoon and hands it to Bokuto, who happily uncaps his ice cream and starts eating.

“So what did you have in mind, Daichi?” Bokuto asks in between bites.

“We should go on a road trip,” Daichi declares.

“To where?” Ushijima asks.

“We can figure that out later,” Daichi says, waving his hand carelessly. “I just think we should get out of this place, see something new, rediscover what it means to be single! We’re going to get nowhere if we keep wallowing.”

“…so you want us to get into a car and start driving,” Kuroo surmises.

“What do we have to lose?” Daichi asks. “We’re all freshly single and we’re miserable. How many nights have Bokuto and I spent on this couch? How many has Ushijima?”

“And the solution is to road trip?” Kuroo asks.

Oikawa hums for a bit, counting on his fingers as he does, then nods. “Dai-chan has a point. We should go somewhere. Daichi, Bokuto, and Ushiwaka all look terrible.”

“Thanks,” Daichi mutters sarcastically.

Oikawa keeps talking as if Daichi never said anything. “Besides, we’ve always talked about going on a road trip before; we’ve just never done it. This is the perfect time!”

Kuroo looks down at Oikawa. “You’re willing to go on a road trip at…” He looks at the clock. “12:13 A.M.?”

“Yukie said I was too flighty,” Bokuto says mournfully. “She’d hate it if I went on this road trip.”

“You two have broken up,” Ushijima points out. “You don’t need to care about what Yukie thinks.”

For a moment, Bokuto looks sad all over again, and Kuroo wonders if Bokuto’s about the start crying. Again. But then his face lifts and he actually grins for the first time since Yukie dumped him.

“You’re right!” says Bokuto. “We should live in the moment. Let’s go.”

“I meant like, tomorrow morning,” Daichi says.

“I, for one, think it would be very fun,” Ushijima says. “Whose car will we take?”

“Dai-chan’s Jeep,” Oikawa says. “We can’t all fit in your truck.”

“We’ll need to pack,” Daichi points out, realizing (correctly) that there’s no stopping them now that Ushijima, Oikawa, and Bokuto are all on board. “Oikawa’s going to need to go back to his place to get his things. And we’ll have to leave a key with Matsukawa and Hanamaki.”

Oikawa deflates. “I don’t want to go there,” he mumbles. “I thought it would be okay, but it was too quiet, and then…shit.” Tears are leaking out of his eyes once more. “I can’t stay here, where every little thing reminds me of him.”

Kuroo sighs. He gets that. He feels the same way, actually. When he was walking back to his place from Kenma’s, he couldn’t help but see Kenma everywhere in the city streets.

“Alright,” Kuroo says. “Let’s go. We’ll pack our things tonight and head out tomorrow morning.”

Daichi sighs. “Let’s finish the movie, and then we can pack. Oikawa, you’re welcome to stay the night, and we can help you pack up your things tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Oikawa says.

“This is going to be awesome!” Bokuto declares. He’s already starting to perk up a little, which is good, because he’s been wallowing for the past two weeks. “It’ll be the best vacation ever!”

**Step Two: Do Something Stupid (Ideally Something That Involves Avoiding Reality, Like a Road Trip)**

Suggesting that they go on a road trip had seemed like a fantastic idea last night.

But as he watches Bokuto, Kuroo, and Ushijima stack their duffel bags in his Jeep, while Oikawa whines about not having any of his things so they need to make sure they leave space for him, Daichi suddenly very, very much regrets suggesting this.

“Who’s sitting where?” Daichi asks. “Usual order?”

“Yes!” Kuroo yells.

“Oikawa’s the skinniest; he has to sit in the middle,” Bokuto says. “Usual order is the only one that makes sense.”

“I am NOT squishing between you and Ushiwaka for literal hours,” Oikawa protests. “You two are built like brick shithouses. I’ll die.”

“I will not squish you,” Ushijima says. He pauses, considers their usual seating arrangement in Daichi’s Jeep, then frowns. “Although perhaps we should switch it up.”

“Bokuto is still banned from the passenger seat,” Daichi reminds them. “I don’t really care otherwise; figure it out yourselves.” He runs his hand through his hair. “I’m going to go back in and check that we got everything; also, I’ll lock up the windows and turn everything off.”

“Once a dad, always a dad,” Kuroo says jokingly, and Daichi flips him off as he heads back into their apartment.

He does a quick sweep of the living room, making sure that no one left their phone behind. As he passes through the kitchen, he grabs their water bottles and fills them up. Water is always good to have, he thinks.

He tosses the water bottles, along with two large bags of chips and one bag of popcorn, into a plastic bag. Someone else probably already packed some food, but it can’t hurt to have more. Pleased, Daichi walks into the bathroom. Kuroo forgot his toothbrush and Bokuto left his hair spray, so Daichi sighs but puts both of those into the bag.

He then checks their bedrooms (mostly to make sure they didn’t leave their windows open), before making his way into his own bedroom.

It’s the last place he wants to be right now.

Remnants of Yui are everywhere. He still hasn’t gotten rid of the photos they shared, and Yui smiles back at him from his walls.

“Get rid of them when you move,” he tells himself. “You don’t have time to toss all of these now.”

With a sigh, Daichi walks over and makes sure his bedroom window is locked. Then he leaves.

There’s no point in lingering, he thinks. That’s what the entire point of this road trip is about: moving on. 

He locks the door on his way out.

“Is everyone ready?” he asks, climbing into the driver’s seat.

“I need to pee,” Oikawa says. “Also, I think I forgot something.” 

“…you just stayed here for one night.”

“Uh, phone charger,” Oikawa says, with a wave of his hand that means he didn’t actually leave his phone charger. “You can never have too many chargers.” He hops out of the car. “Be back soon!”

Daichi groans as Oikawa vanishes. He turns to Bokuto, who grins at him from the passenger seat.

“You’re not allowed to sit there,” he reminds him.

“Come on, Daichi,” Bokuto whines. “Everyone else gets to sit here! Why can’t I? I’m heartbroken.”

“So am I,” Daichi says. “And Ushijima. And Kuroo. And Oikawa!”

“Fine.” Bokuto slides out. “Kuroo, claim your rightful seat.”

“Alright,” Kuroo says gamely, unbuckling and climbing out. Bokuto slides into his place and Kuroo climbs into the passenger seat. “You ready for adventure, Daichi?”

“I’m beginning to regret this,” Daichi tells him.

“It was your idea to do this,” Ushijima points out. “Last night, you suggested that we finally go on our road trip.”

“That was clearly a mistake,” Daichi grumbles.

Oikawa comes back out, carrying a bag of something, a wide grin on his face. “Alright, let’s go!” he exclaims, climbing over Ushijima into the back. “Wait! Bokuto is supposed to be in the front!”

“I’m still banned from sitting there, sorry,” Bokuto says.

“We can swap at Oikawa’s place!” Daichi shouts, starting up the Jeep. “Let’s go!”

“I wasn’t kidding, Daichi, you really are a dad,” Kuroo says as Daichi starts driving.

“I will crash this car, don’t test me.” Daichi glares at Kuroo.

“Kuroo, put on something good,” Oikawa orders. “This is the start of our new lives! We need music for it!”

“You know where the aux cord is,” Daichi says when Kuroo looks at him. Kuroo lets out a cheer and immediately plugs his phone in, then starts scrolling through his music for something.

“I need to pee,” Bokuto announces.

“You can pee at Oikawa’s,” Daichi says.

“Do we still not know where we’re going?” Ushijima asks.

“We’re going south,” Kuroo says, at the same Bokuto shouts, “North!”

“…east,” Oikawa says. Judging from the smirk on his face, it’s definitely just to be contrary.

“We’ll figure that out at Oikawa’s too,” Daichi decides. It’s a good thing they need to stop by Oikawa’s place. Otherwise, there’d be more yelling.

“You’ll help me pack though, right?” Oikawa asks. “I helped you guys this morning!”

“You did not,” Ushijima says. “You went through my closet and told me that I have a bad sense of fashion.”

“Well, you do!” Oikawa exclaims. “How are we going to make Semi regret cheating on you if you look like…” He glares at Ushijima and waves his hand. “That?”

“Please don’t bring him up,” Ushijima says with a wince.

“That’s the whole point of the trip!” Oikawa declares. “We’re going to show our exes that we don’t need them! Take that, Iwa-chan!”

Bokuto and Ushijima exchange a glance over Oikawa’s head, and Kuroo looks at Daichi. Daichi pulls into the parking lot for Oikawa’s apartment complex.

“We’re here,” he says in the awkward silence. “Come on, let’s get Oikawa’s stuff.”

“Right,” Kuroo says, and then they’re piling out of the car.

It’s a quiet walk up to Oikawa’s apartment, but once they’re inside, Bokuto starts badgering Oikawa about what things he wants to bring and whether or not they should dismantle his furniture for when they will move into their big apartment (Daichi refrains from pointing out that they don’t actually have a big apartment yet). Oikawa smiles sadly, and Daichi sighs.

“I’ll prepare lunch,” he says. “We should eat before we leave.”

“You’re absolutely useless in the kitchen, Dai-chan,” Oikawa says, shoving clothes into his bag. “Ushijima, go help him.”

“I am not useless,” Daichi protests, affronted.

Bokuto, Kuroo, and Oikawa all give him identical looks of disbelief.

“What?” Daichi cries. “I’ve never set off the smoke alarm before!”

“That was Iwa-chan’s fault!” Oikawa shouts. “Besides, I don’t claim to know how to cook!”

“You can’t cook, Daichi,” Bokuto says. “Nearly everything you’ve made has been close to inedible.”

“It is inedible. You’re the worst cook I’ve ever met, and that includes Kenma,” Kuroo says.

“I will help him,” Ushijima says, getting up from where he was unscrewing Oikawa’s bedframe. “Do not worry about us.” 

Daichi scowls but follows Ushijima into the kitchen. “I’m not that bad.”

“You are,” Ushijima tells him, opening up the fridge and taking out a few eggs. “But that is nothing to be ashamed of. We all have our own unique talents.” He turns back to the fridge and continues rummaging around. “For example, you are good at helping others. Oikawa is incredibly charismatic.” Then he frowns. “However, Oikawa has a distinct lack of vegetables in his fridge.”

Daichi groans. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” Ushijima turns around and holds up two carrots. “This was all I could find.”

“What else did he have in there?”

“Some pork,” Ushijima says. “Does he have any noodles?”

“Oikawa!” Daichi shouts. “Do you have noodles?”

“Probably!” Oikawa shouts back.

“Stir fry it is,” Ushijima says, and he begins opening up Oikawa’s cabinets. “Daichi, can you peel the carrots for me?”

“Yeah,” Daichi says, and he gets to work.

It’s quiet for a while, with muted chatter coming from Oikawa’s room as Bokuto, Oikawa, and Kuroo sort through and pack up Oikawa’s things. Ushijima starts frying something, and Daichi hears oil sizzle in the wok that Ushijima procured.

“We’ll have to do the dishes before we leave,” he remarks.

“How are you holding up, Ushijima?” Daichi asks, setting down one peeled carrot.

It shouldn’t have taken this long to peel a carrot. Maybe his friends were right. Maybe he is hopeless when it comes to cooking. 

“I’m fine,” Ushijima says as Daichi picks up the second carrot. “These things happen.”

Daichi frowns. “You…sure?”

There’s a loud sizzle as Ushijima throws in the pork. “Well,” says Ushijima calmly. “It would appear that I was not enough for Semi.” He pokes at the pork with a spatula. “How about you? How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know,” Daichi says. “It’s weird, not talking to Yui anymore.”

Ushijima hums in agreement. Quiet falls over the kitchen, and Daichi finishes peeling the second carrot.

“Oikawa’s right, I think,” Ushijima says suddenly. “We should use this time to remind ourselves that we don’t need to be in a relationship to feel whole.”

Daichi looks at the two carrots. “He said we should show our exes that we’re better off without them.”

Ushijima shrugs. “That too,” he says. “We can always fall in love again.” He nods at the carrots. “Chop those, please?” 

“Sure,” says Daichi, and he picks up the chef’s knife and starts chopping. It feels good, to chop the carrots into small chunks, and it goes much faster than the peeling. Once he’s done, he pulls out five plates and sets the table.

At some point, Oikawa, Bokuto, and Kuroo amble out, laughing amongst themselves.

“We got my room all packed up,” Oikawa declares, flopping into a chair. “Why do I have so much stuff?”

“We’ll collect it once we get back from our trip,” Kuroo adds, sitting in another chair. “What’d you guys make for us?”

“Ushijima made stir fry,” Daichi says.

“Oikawa had two carrots,” Ushijima says, pouring the stir fry onto a plate. “That was all he had in the way of vegetables.”

“Oops!” Oikawa grins. “What did you put in it then?”

“Pork, carrots, and eggs,” Ushijima says, putting the plate on the table.

“Nice!” Bokuto grabs his bowl and dumps a heap of noodles into it. “I’m excited! It smells good!”

Kuroo grins. “Thanks, Ushijima,” he says. “I trust Daichi wasn’t too much of a hinderance?”

“I’m right here,” Daichi grouses.

“He was very helpful,” Ushijima says calmly. “He did everything I asked.”

“Nothing burned?” Bokuto asks, grinning.

“I hate you all,” Daichi grumbles. “Except Ushijima. He can stay.”

“You were the one who suggested this,” Oikawa points out around a mouthful of food, and Kuroo and Bokuto nod in agreement.

“I will leave you here,” he threatens, but he knows he won’t. Instead, they finish their food, before Daichi does the dishes while Oikawa, Bokuto, Kuroo, and Ushijima do a final sweep of the place, and then they lock up Oikawa’s apartment.

“We ought to drop off the key,” Oikawa says, his voice tight with feigned lightness as they head back down to the car.

“Right,” says Kuroo. “I can give it to Matsukawa and Hanamaki.”

“Yeah,” Daichi agrees. “You don’t have to see him, Oikawa.”

“Right.” Oikawa runs his fingers through his hair and looks back at the apartment.

The short ride to Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s apartment is silent. Daichi doesn’t bother parking, just idles as Kuroo slides out of the car and runs up to drop off the key.

“Well, we’ve done everything we needed to,” Bokuto says in the silence. “So, we’re ready to road trip?”

“It’s going to be the best thing we’ve ever done,” Oikawa hisses.

Kuroo comes back. “Ushiwaka,” he says, rapping on the backseat window. “We’re trading seats.”

“Oh, right,” says Ushijima, and he climbs out of the backseat and into the passenger side. Daichi hands him the aux cord.

“Play whatever you like,” he says, waiting for Kuroo to buckle himself up. “Everyone ready?” 

“We’re going to have fun!” Bokuto exclaims. “I’ve wanted to do this with you guys since forever!”

“It’s nice that we’re finally doing it,” Daichi agrees, looking for the freeway entrance. “South, right?”

“South!” Bokuto and Oikawa cheer, and Daichi grins as he drives them onto the freeway.

He can’t believe they’re finally doing this.

**Step Three: ~~Fall in Love with Someone New~~ Do NOT, Under Any Circumstances, Call Your Ex (and that includes crushes who (unknowingly) stomped on your heart, Kuroo)**

It’s only been an hour, but Bokuto is having the time of his life.

However, Oikawa clearly isn’t.

“Ushijima, give me the aux,” he snaps. “This is why Kuroo sits shotgun. He’s the only one with decent music taste.”

“Just say you hate country and go,” Ushijima replies.

Bokuto snickers.

“Stop hanging around Tendou!” Oikawa cries. “He’s teaching you how to meme!”

Ushijima just grins, and Bokuto flashes him a thumbs-up.

“Don’t yell,” Daichi says. “Or I’ll pull over and leave you on the side of the road.”

This is the third time he’s threatened that. Bokuto, Kuroo, and Oikawa exchange a look, before they all say (in unison), “You’re the one who suggested we do this.”

“Nice,” Kuroo adds when they end in sync. “We’re getting good at this.” 

“Yeah, that was a solid one!” Bokuto cheers. He holds his hands out for high-fives, and Oikawa and Kuroo immediately give them to him. “We did great!”

Ushijima is still grinning. “They have a point, you know.”

“Ushijima, I take back what I said about you staying.”

“Anyways,” Oikawa declares. “Pass me the aux; I’m tired of listening to Ushijima’s stuff.”

Ushijima unplugs his phone and hands it to Oikawa, who wastes no time plugging in his phone.

“If I hear One-” Daichi starts, but it’s too late. One Direction fills the Jeep, and Daichi sighs while Oikawa cackles.

“Come on, Daichi, One Direction is not that bad,” Kuroo says. “I know for a fact that you think Harry Styles is hot.”

“Out of the five people in this car, you are the one I have the least amount of problems with abandoning on the side of the road,” Daichi tells him.

Bokuto bursts into laughter at Kuroo’s affronted look.

“What did I do?” Kuroo protests. “I’m not the one blasting One Direction!”

“Bokuto and Oikawa would cry, and Ushijima is nice enough that I’d feel bad about it,” Daichi says calmly.

“I would not-” Bokuto stops. Actually, he probably would cry if Daichi abandoned him.

“Stop arguing, I want to put this on my Snap,” Oikawa orders. “Make sure you guys look cute.”

“I never look cute,” Kuroo says. “I look hot.”

“For a rooster,” Oikawa scoffs.

“I do not look like a rooster!” Kuroo protests.

“Yes, you do!” Oikawa says.

“He’s got a point, you know,” Bokuto says, nodding. “Your hair’s all spiky like one of those things that roosters have on their heads.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you,” Kuroo snaps. “Mr. I bleach my roots AND my eyebrows.”

“What’s wrong with my hair?” Bokuto exclaims. “I think it looks cool!”

“You look like an owl!” Kuroo cries.

“Owls look cool!” Bokuto cries. “What’s your point?”

“If it was anyone other than Bokuto, it would look stupid,” Oikawa says. “Ushijima, for example, could never pull it off.”

Bokuto takes a moment to try and picture Ushijima with his hair. The resulting image is…actually, Bokuto isn’t sure he _can_ imagine Ushijima with his hair.

“Oikawa, could you pull off my hair?” he asks.

“No,” says Oikawa, who’s in the process of filming for his Snap story. “My hair is meticulously styled to accentuate my best features. While your hair is…unique, it is not something I could do.”

“You style your hair?” Kuroo asks. “It sure doesn’t look like it.”

“Rude!” Oikawa glares at him. “Daichi, pull over and ditch him!”

“No,” says Daichi, and Bokuto snickers.

“I can’t believe this slander,” Oikawa declares, tapping around on his phone.

“I like your hair, Bokuto,” Ushijima says. “Yours too, Oikawa. And yours, Kuroo.”

“…what about mine?” Daichi asks.

“Yours is also nice,” Ushijima says.

“Semi bleached everything but his tips; you don’t get to have an opinion on hair,” Oikawa says.

“He literally just complimented you?” Bokuto asks.

“Semi’s hair was…how did you put it?” Ushijima thinks for a moment. “Right. You said it was unfortunate. I think that I am inclined to agree, now.”

Oikawa blinks. “Oh. Uh, okay.”

Bokuto laughs. “I like your hair, Ushijima,” he says. “It’s very simple, like you!”

“Thank you,” says Ushijima.

“His hair is fine,” Oikawa grumbles.

“Everyone shut up!” Kuroo yells suddenly. “Kenma’s calling me.”

“Do not pick that up,” Oikawa says, reaching out to grab Kuroo’s phone. “Rule number one of being single: don’t talk to your ex.”

“Oikawa’s right.” Bokuto nods while pressing himself into the door. Oikawa’s flailing as he reaches for Kuroo’s phone, and Kuroo is trying to keep it away from him. Bokuto is in no hurry to get hit today. “That’s, like, rule number one of break-ups.”

“He’s not my ex,” Kuroo says, shoving at Oikawa. “Oikawa, get off! He just unwittingly broke my heart.”

Oh. Bokuto frowns. That does mean that Kuroo can talk to Kenma, doesn’t it?

“Stomped on it, more like,” Oikawa retorts. “Stop shoving and give me your phone.”

“But he didn’t know,” Kuroo protests. “I can’t hold that against him.”

“Did you tell him you were going on a road trip?” Daichi asks, and Oikawa and Kuroo freeze in their twisted positions next to Bokuto.

“…no,” Kuroo says after a moment.

“Okay,” Daichi says. “Then when you answer, tell him that you’re going on a road trip and you can’t come over.”

“Who says he wants me to come over?” Kuroo demands.

“You’ll derail if you don’t have a script, and he’s probably wondering where you are,” Daichi explains. “So now you know what to say. You can–”

“It just went to voicemail!” Kuroo shrieks. “Now what?” 

“You can just text him!” Bokuto reasons. “That way, you haven’t frozen him out of your life, but you don’t have to hear his voice!”

“I agree with Bokuto,” Ushijima says. “He makes a solid argument.”

“But what do I say?” Kuroo asks.

“Give me the phone,” Oikawa snaps. “I’ll take care of it.”

Kuroo scoffs. “You will not. You’ll make him worried.”

“I can mimic how you text. You have no faith in me,” Oikawa replies. “And I’ll let you proofread it.”

“We can all text Kenma!” Bokuto declares. “Isn’t that what bros do?”

“Fine,” says Kuroo. “But Kenma hasn’t texted me anything.”

“Did he leave a message?” Ushijima asks. “You can probably text him and say you got his message.”

“Apologize for missing it!” Bokuto adds.

Kuroo sighs. “He left a message; shut up and I’ll play it.”

Bokuto holds still as Kuroo plays the message.

“Hi, Kuroo,” Kenma says over the phone. His voice sounds a little distorted, Bokuto thinks. “I thought you said you were coming over today.” It’s quiet for a second, and then Kenma adds, “If, uh, you can’t, that’s fine. See you later.”

Kuroo groans once the message ends. “What am I supposed to say to that?”

“Me and Oikawa will take care of it!” Bokuto says. “Uh, just say that you went on a road trip!”

“Wait,” says Oikawa. “You can’t respond right away. You need to look like you’re busy.”

“You’re putting too much thought into this,” Daichi interjects. “Just say that you’re going on a road trip and you can’t come over right now but you should be back soon.”

“But you can’t text right now!” Oikawa exclaims. “That’ll look like you purposely ignored his call!”

“Well, none of you would shut up, so of course I couldn’t answer!” Kuroo shouts.

Bokuto frowns. “It’s not a big deal,” he says. “I mean, Kenma is pretty chill, right? He won’t mind.”

“You think?” Kuroo asks.

“It might be reasonable to see if he texts you first,” Ushijima adds. “He might do that, since you missed his phone call.”

Kuroo eyes his phone like it’s about to start spewing toxic venom, but nothing happens. One Direction is still playing in the background. Bokuto would laugh if the situation wasn’t so serious.

“…so, should I text him now?” Kuroo asks after a few minutes of silence.

“No,” says Oikawa. “I have a better idea.”

“What?” Kuroo asks, sounding tired.

“Daichi, how are we doing on gas?” Oikawa asks, leaning over to the driver’s seat. Bokuto laughs as Kuroo leans away from Oikawa.

“We’ll probably need to stop in about twenty minutes,” Daichi says. “Why?”

“When Daichi pulls over,” Oikawa declares. “That’s when you’ll respond.”

“Why?” Kuroo asks.

“Why not?” Oikawa says.

Bokuto shrugs. “Oikawa’s pretty smart, you know.”

“Fine.” Kuroo scowls. “But I don’t want him to be worried.”

“This road trip is about yourself,” Ushijima says. “You have to stop putting him first and focus on you.”

“But he didn’t even know that he hurt me!” Kuroo explains, on the verge of tears.

“Okay,” says Bokuto, reaching over Oikawa to grab Kuroo’s hand. “Okay, here’s what we will do. Daichi will drive us to the gas station, and then you can call Kenma back and apologize for going on a road trip without letting him know ahead of time.”

“I don’t want him to be mad,” Kuroo says, wiping his eyes. Bokuto laces their fingers together and squeezes Kuroo’s hand. “I just want him to be happy, so how come it hurts so much?”

“Because you want to be the one who makes him happy,” Oikawa says flatly, but he reaches out and pulls Kuroo into his side. “That’s what it is. It’s okay to be sad that he chose someone else, Tetsu-chan.”

Kuroo cries for a few minutes. Ushijima digs around in the Jeep’s glove compartment and pulls out a pack of tissues, which he hands to Kuroo.

“Thanks,” says Kuroo, blowing his nose. Bokuto doesn’t let go of Kuroo’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay to be sad,” Daichi reminds him. “We’re all here for the same reasons, you know.”

“Heartbreak club,” Ushijima says.

“I thought it wasn’t a club,” Kuroo says weakly.

“It is now,” Daichi says. “Oikawa can be president.”

“Great, thanks,” Oikawa says, rolling his eyes. “Just what I’ve always wanted: to be president over a bunch of sad people.”

“Can I be vice president?” Bokuto asks.

“We’ll need a treasurer,” Ushijima says. “As well as a secretary.”

“We’re not actually forming a club,” Kuroo grumbles. “Last night, you guys were like, ‘It’s not a club’, and now suddenly it is?”

“As president of the club, I order Tetsu-chan to shut up,” Oikawa declares, looking far too pleased.

“…I’m dissolving the club,” Daichi says.

“Rude!” Oikawa shouts.

“When do we stop?” Bokuto asks. “I need to pee.”

Daichi groans. “Give me fifteen more minutes.”

“Okay.” Bokuto leans back and sighs.

They fall silent, Oikawa’s phone still playing One Direction. Kuroo sniffs a little, and Oikawa reaches over to pat his head again. Bokuto still hasn’t let go of Kuroo’s hand, so he squeezes it comfortingly.

Eventually, Daichi pulls into a gas station.

“Alright,” he says. “Everyone, get out and stretch. Maybe buy snacks. Bokuto, go pee.”

“Right!” Bokuto hops out of the Jeep and stretches under the afternoon sun.

“Kuroo, here, I’ll help you text Kenma,” Oikawa says as Bokuto hurries off to buy a pack of gum and use the restroom.

He hurries into the convenience store and purchases a pack of fruit-flavored gum, then asks the cashier for the key. Then he rushes to the restroom, goes pee, washes his hands, and is cheerfully exiting when he bumps into someone, dropping the restroom key in the process.

“I’m so sorry!” he exclaims, snatching up the key. “Are you…woah.”

The person he bumped into has dark, slightly curly hair and deep blue eyes and a deadpan expression on his face and the longest lashes Bokuto has ever seen. His lips are delicate and pink; his skin is tan; his jaw is sharp enough to cut glass.

Bokuto thinks he might be in love.

“You’re beautiful,” Bokuto blurts out.

“…thank you,” the man says. “Could I, um. Use the restroom?”

“Of course!” Bokuto says, handing him the key. “Just give it back to me when you’re finished!”

“Okay,” the man says, before disappearing into the restroom.

Bokuto watches the door shut behind him. He’s not ashamed of the dreamy sigh that escapes him as soon as the door closes.

Then he frowns. Is he supposed to move on this fast? He and Yukie broke up barely two weeks ago. Is it wrong of him to already be interested in someone else?

But…that man was the prettiest person Bokuto had ever seen. And Bokuto had seen a lot of ridiculously pretty people.

Oikawa, for one; Kuroo, for another; then there was Daichi’s friend Shimizu Kiyoko; Oikawa’s ex, Iwaizumi, had been pretty attractive; come to think of it, Michimiya Yui had a cute sort of charm around her; Oikawa could make fun of Semi all he wanted but even he had been really pretty; and Yukie herself had been beautiful.

But that man. Bokuto is pretty sure that he will never, ever, ever forget that face.

The man exits the restroom and hands him the key. “Thank you,” he says again. “I really appreciate it.”

“What’s your name?” Bokuto blurts out.

“…Akaashi Keiji.”

“Akaashi,” Bokuto says, tasting the name in his mouth. “Akaashi, you’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen, and I’m friends with Oikawa.”

Akaashi blinks. “Do you have a name?”

“It’s Bokuto! Bokuto Koutarou,” Bokuto tells him. “Where are you headed?”

“My friends and I are going on a weekend vacation,” Akaashi says. “What about you?”

“My friends and I are road tripping!” Bokuto declares. “Except we’re not sure where our final destination is.”

“That sound interesting,” Akaashi replies, the corners of his lips forming a half smile. It’s the prettiest thing Bokuto’s ever seen. “Don’t you need to return that key?”

“Oh! Right!” Bokuto laughs. “I forgot I was holding it!”

“That’s alright,” Akaashi says. “Thank you for letting me borrow it.”

“No problem,” Bokuto replies. “I hope you have a good vacation.”

“You too, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi tells him, and oh, Bokuto wants to hear Akaashi say “Bokuto-san” for the rest of his goddamn life. Is it possible to fall in love with a complete stranger? Bokuto thinks that he just did. “Have fun going wherever it is you decide to go.”

“We will!” Bokuto declares. “It’s the start of our new life!”

“I see.” Akaashi bows slightly. “I must get going. Thank you for lending me the key.”

“Before you go, can I get your number?” Bokuto asks.

Akaashi freezes. “I…I don’t…I don’t have a phone,” he blurts out, and then he whirls around and practically races to his car.

Bokuto frowns. Did he come on too strong? He hadn’t meant to scare Akaashi; he just thought that Akaashi was the prettiest person he’d ever seen and he wanted to talk to him more.

But maybe he had come on too strong. Bokuto sighs. Maybe he wasn’t destined to have love, after all.

He walks back to the gas station convenience store, returns the key, then looks around, where he spots Ushijima talking to a man with caramel colored hair and severe angled bangs.

“Ushijima!” he exclaims, throwing himself over his friend. “I just saw the prettiest person in the entire world, fell in love, and then I think I scared him away.”

“This is my friend Bokuto,” Ushijima says, completely nonplussed by Bokuto’s dramatics. “Bokuto, this is Shirabu.”

“Hello,” says Shirabu. He looks unimpressed. “It was nice meeting you, Ushijima, but I must be going.”

“Of course,” Ushijima says. “It was nice meeting you too.”

Shirabu walks off with the smallest of waves.

“He seemed nice,” Bokuto remarks.

“He did,” Ushijima agrees. “I was thinking of picking up some popsicles for us. What flavor do you want, Bokuto?”

“Ooh! Lime!” Bokuto grins. “That’s such a good idea, since it’s pretty warm out!”

Ushijima nods and selects five lime popsicles, then purchases them. The two make their way back out to the car, where Kuroo and Oikawa are wheezing while Daichi glares at them.

“You’re back!” Kuroo exclaims once he sees them. “Bro, you just-” He bursts into laughter. “You just missed the best thing ever.”

“Daichi got hit on!” Oikawa cries, tears of mirth streaming down his face. “And he was so awkward! The guy was like, ‘hey, can I have your number?’ and Daichi was like, ‘My jersey number?’”

“Shut up,” Daichi grumbles. “I’ve been in a relationship for the past three years. I haven’t had people hit on me in a long time.”

“No, it gets better,” Kuroo says. “The guy was like, ‘I’ll take that along with your phone number’, which, nice recovery, but Daichi just looked at him and was like, ‘Are you hitting on me?’”

Oikawa leans against Kuroo, clutching his side. “Who knew Daichi was so bad at flirting!” He exclaims. “Anyways, the guy was like, ‘Sure am, so is that a yes to the number or…’ and Daichi squeaked! He was like, ‘Tongue piercing. No.’”

“He had a tongue piercing?” Bokuto asks. “And you said no? Dude, people with tongue piercings are hella cool! I don’t know anyone with one, but only cool people have them!”

“It was so cold of Daichi,” Oikawa says. “The guy didn’t even expose it intentionally.”

“I panicked, okay?!” Daichi shouts. “He was being smooth and he had a tongue piercing! I’ve dated the same girl for three years! This hot guy was hitting on me!”

“You said no to a guy you thought was hot?” Ushijima asks. “What does that even accomplish?”

“Shut up!” Daichi hisses, face reddening. 

Kuroo is still cackling. “How did you even land Michimiya? It certainly wasn’t through your mad flirting skills.”

“It’s okay, Daichi,” Bokuto says. “I saw the prettiest person by the bathroom earlier and he ran away when I asked for his number.”

Oikawa snorts and Kuroo cackles even harder.

“We really are disasters, aren’t we?” Ushijima asks.

“Yup,” says Daichi, still red. “Stop laughing and get back in the car, or I’ll leave you all at the gas station.”

“It was your idea to go on the road trip,” Bokuto, Kuroo, Oikawa, and Ushijima chorus in unison, and Daichi groans. Bokuto high-fives his friends before climbing back in.

The road trip is going great. He just knew that it was the right decision to go on one.

**Step Four: Reaffirm Your Friendships with the People You Love**

“We should find a motel soon,” Ushijima says thoughtfully, looking at the golden sky. “And then somewhere to get dinner.”

“Just pull over at the first fast food place you see,” Oikawa says. “I want fries.”

“Motel first,” Bokuto says. “I want to ditch our things.”

“If we go to a motel, we’re never going to get back in the car again,” Kuroo points out. “My knees hurt.”

“Cramming multiple six-foot tall men in the same car was a bad idea,” Ushijima agrees.

“You and Bokuto need to stop being so big,” Oikawa grumbles. “Be small like Daichi.”

“I am big enough to crush you,” Daichi threatens.

“You’re not even six feet,” Oikawa says. “What are you going to do, punch my throat? Can you even reach that?”

“No, but Daichi can bench press you,” Kuroo says, shaking his head. “At the very least, his thighs could destroy your skull.”

“We should get watermelons!” Bokuto exclaims. “We can crack them open! See who has the strongest thighs!”

Oikawa scoffs. “That’s only a contest for you, Ushiwaka, and Daichi.”

“Hey, I have thighs,” Kuroo protests. “I could break a watermelon!”

Ushijima snorts. “We tried that last summer. You failed.”

“I broke a little one!” Kuroo wails.

“I have photos,” Oikawa says cheerfully, and Kuroo is tackling Oikawa for the…what? Fifth time today? Ushijima stopped keeping track.

“Stop kicking!” Daichi shouts. “Or I will not stop for dinner!”

Kuroo and Oikawa freeze in their seats before immediately straightening. Bokuto just snickers in the ensuing silence.

Then someone’s stomach growls, loudly.

Bokuto bursts into laughter. “Who was that?” he asks.

“It wasn’t me,” Ushijima says.

“Wasn’t me,” Kuroo and Oikawa chime together.

Daichi scowls at the road.

“Daichi,” says Bokuto. “Didn’t you just threaten to skip dinner?”

“Bokuto Koutarou, I will throw out the hair spray I rescued from the bathroom,” Daichi threatens, and Bokuto laughs even harder. Ushijima smiles. It’s nice to see Bokuto smiling when he’s spent the past week moping and crying.

“Let’s get dinner first,” Kuroo says, grinning at Daichi. “Since someone sounds a little hungry.”

“Our child is hungry!” Bokuto exclaims.

“I am two months younger than you!” Daichi yells.

“Four months, Daichi,” Oikawa corrects. “And you’re six months younger than me.”

“We get it, you’re the oldest,” Daichi grumbles. “And yet who’s the one driving us?”

“He’s such a responsible child,” Kuroo says, placing his hand over his heart in mock sadness. “We raised a wonderful kid.”

“You didn’t even know him when you were a kid,” Ushijima points out.

“Ushijima, you are the only one here who I can tolerate. You get shotgun privileges for the rest of your life,” Daichi declares.

“Thank you,” Ushijima says. “That is the twelfth time you have told me this. Are you planning on taking them away again at some point?”

“You can’t give him shotgun privileges!” Kuroo shouts at the same time. “That’s my spot!”

“Kuroo stop kicking!” Daichi yells. “Or I’m going to crash! And not on purpose, so it WILL be your fault!”

“So much for raising a wonderful kid,” Oikawa quips. “He threatens us with violence.”

“He’s always like that,” Bokuto says, nodding sagely. “Children, you know?”

“Do you want In N Out or not?” Daichi demands.

“Daichi, if you take me anywhere else, I will drive your precious Jeep,” Oikawa threatens.

“Do NOT let him drive,” Kuroo and Bokuto say in unison.

“I have never seen Oikawa’s driving,” Ushijima says. “I wasn’t aware that he could.”

“It’s easy,” Oikawa declares. “You just hit the pedals and turn the wheel.”

“Bro, the one time you drove me, I was actively afraid for my life,” Bokuto says. “I thought I was going to die.”

“That was easily the most life-threatening experience I’ve ever had,” Kuroo agrees. “I would risk Daichi’s wrath a thousand times over before getting into a car with Oikawa driving.”

“But did you die?!” Oikawa yells. “I didn’t even crash!”

“Oikawa, you don’t even have a license,” Daichi says. “Why were you driving? When was this?”

Awkward silence falls over the backseat, and Ushijima arches an eyebrow. He wants to know what happened, and why Oikawa was driving.

“I had nothing to do with that,” Kuroo blurts out.

“Yes, you do, you’re the only one back there who has a license!” Daichi shouts. “Why weren’t you driving?” 

“Ushijima has a license!” Bokuto points out unhelpfully.

“I have a truck too,” Ushijima adds. “But I wasn’t there for this. What happened?”

“None of you even own a car!” Daichi yells. “What did you idiots do?”

“None of us know how to hot-wire a car; so, whatever you’re thinking, I swear that’s not what happened!” Oikawa yells back.

“What the fuck?!” Daichi shouts. “How is that reassuring?”

“We agreed never to speak of that incident,” Bokuto says suddenly. “We took an oath. In blood.”

Kuroo and Oikawa fall silent. Ushijima stares their guilty faces in the rearview mirror.

“Where did you get the blood?” Daichi asks warily.

“Can’t tell,” Kuroo says. “Bokuto’s right, you know.”

“Yup,” says Oikawa, sounding a little too cheerful. “So, where’s the In N Out?”

Daichi scowls. “We’re getting Chipotle.”

“I want fries!” Oikawa protests.

“And I want a new friend group, but we can’t all have what we want, can we?” Daichi asks.

“Hey,” Kuroo says. He glances at Bokuto and Oikawa, and Ushijima knows what’s coming next.

Sure enough, the three back seat terrors say (in perfect unison), “Who suggested we go on the road trip last night?” Daichi groans as they swap high-fives.

“Compromise,” Ushijima suggests. He’s hungry too, and in no mood to listen to his friends in the back start shouting again. Unless it’s about the instance Oikawa drove. There’s a story there that he would love to hear. “How about we go to Taco Bell?”

“Does Taco Bell have fries?” Bokuto asks.

“Sometimes,” Oikawa replies. “Alright, I’m down.”

“Great,” says Kuroo. “That takes care of dinner.”

Daichi exits the freeway at the first sign of a Taco Bell and pulls into the parking lot. Kuroo cheers once they’ve parked.

“You four are impossible,” Daichi grumbles as they tumble out of his car.

“You gave me eternal shotgun privileges about fifteen minutes ago,” Ushijima reminds him, as he stretches out his arms.

“I want shotgun privileges,” Bokuto says, pouting. “It’s not fair. Oikawa’s the smallest and yet _he_ gets shotgun privileges.”

“Only when it’s not the five of us! I have to sit in the middle every time we all go somewhere!” Oikawa exclaims. “And I’m taller than Daichi!”

“You’re skinny though,” Kuroo says, slinging an arm around Oikawa.

“Are we getting food or not?” Daichi asks. “I’m hungry.”

“Yeah, we all heard your stomach growl,” says Bokuto, bouncing into the small restaurant. Ushijima follows him, Oikawa, Kuroo, and Daichi trailing after. Ushijima thinks he hears Daichi mutter something about stupid owls.

Daichi will get over it. He always does.

They make their way to the counter, where Ushijima orders a quesadilla. Behind him, Oikawa mumbles something about wanting better fries before placing his order.

“Wow,” says Bokuto, once they’ve got their food. “Can you believe we actually did this?”

“I have so many regrets,” Daichi mumbles through a mouthful of burrito. He swallows, wipes his mouth, and then adds, “But I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” 

“Daichi!” Kuroo exclaims. “You do love us!”

“Of course I do,” Daichi says. “I wouldn’t let you guys anywhere near my car if I didn’t.”

Oikawa pulls out his phone and grins. “I am putting this on Snap. Look cute,” he declares, pointing the camera at everyone. Ushijima simply nods when Oikawa points the camera at him, and Oikawa snorts a little.

“You guys really are the best,” Oikawa says, putting down his phone. “I give you guys a lot of shit, but I appreciate you putting up with my whiny ass.”

“You’re not whiny,” Bokuto says. “I’m the one who mood swings at the drop of a hat.”

“Oi, stop that, you two,” Kuroo says, reaching across the table to poke at Oikawa and Bokuto. “Both of you are great people and I’m glad that you’re in my life.”

Ushijima smiles. “Thank you for putting up with my denseness. I enjoy hanging out with you all as well.”

“Anytime,” Oikawa says, waving his hand. 

Bokuto laughs. “It wouldn’t be the same without you,” he says cheerfully.

“Yup.” Kuroo smiles. “It’s the five of us, forever.”

“Save me,” says Daichi, but he’s smiling fondly at them, his chin resting on his hand.

“You know you love us,” Kuroo coos, and Daichi laughs.

“Oi, Bokuto!” Oikawa exclaims suddenly. “Give me my fries back! Order your own next time!”

Bokuto cackles and shoves the two stolen fries in his mouth. “Absolutely not. They taste better stolen.”

“You completely ruined the moment,” Daichi says, shaking his head. “I was just beginning to think that we were getting somewhere.”

Ushijima chuckles. “This was a good idea, Daichi,” he says. “I think that a change of scenery was exactly what we needed.”

“Ah, well.” Daichi looks at his food and sighs. “It was getting rather…depressing in the apartment.”

“Yes,” Ushijima agrees. “When we get back, moving will be the best thing for us.”

“We’ll have more space for Bokuto and Oikawa,” Daichi remarks. He smiles. “Bokuto is right. This is the start of a new chapter of our lives.”

“How cheesy,” Kuroo says.

“Is he wrong, though?” Ushijima asks.

Kuroo shrugs, but Bokuto nods furiously. “Nope! Daichi’s right!”

“He was literally agreeing with you, dumbass,” Oikawa mumbles, and Ushijima smiles as Bokuto glares at Oikawa in response.

There’s no place he would rather be.

**Step Five: Participate in a Ritualistic Cleanse**

“Alcohol, check?” Oikawa asks.

“Check!” Bokuto cheers, lifting up the box of soju bottles that they purchased barely fifteen minutes ago.

“Wood, check?” Oikawa asks.

“Check,” Ushijima says, eyeing the unlit stack of wood that they’ve gathered.

“Water, check?” Oikawa asks.

“There’s no way this can end well,” Daichi says in lieu of answering.

“Water, check?” Oikawa asks again, louder this time, giving Daichi a pointed look.

“Check.” Daichi rolls his eyes, much to Oikawa's chagrin.

“Marshmallows, check?” Oikawa asks.

“Check!” Kuroo declares.

“And photos, check!” Oikawa finishes. “Awesome, now let’s light that fire.” He points to the wood, which sits uselessly in its pit of sand and rocks.

“Okay,” says Ushijima, and he strikes a match and starts the fire. Orange flames flicker in the dying sunlight.

“How many photos are you taking?” Daichi asks as Oikawa whips out his phone and starts taking more photos.

Oikawa laughs. “You can never have too many photos, Dai-chan,” he coos. “Besides, it’ll be too dark to get proper pictures soon.”

“Can we get drunk yet?” Bokuto asks. “Or start roasting marshmallows?”

“We can get drunk,” Oikawa says, and grins as Bokuto cheers and starts taking out the soju bottles. Bokuto passes them around, and Oikawa wastes no time opening his bottle and taking a sip.

“I can’t believe we’re roasting marshmallows,” Daichi says, watching as Ushijima coaxes the flames up the stacked logs. “It’s weird to think that just this morning we were in our apartment.”

“That’s what we’re all about!” Bokuto exclaims. “Spontaneity! Freedom! The sound of the ocean as we build a bonfire to roast marshmallows on!”

Oikawa flops into the sand and drops his head in Kuroo’s lap. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”

“You keep being sappy,” Kuroo says. “I’m beginning to worry for the state of our friendship.”

“Oh no, how dare we show appreciation for each other,” Daichi drawls.

“I think it is good to have some time to be soft,” Ushijima comments from the fire. Bokuto squats next to him. “We spend too much time making fun of each other’s hair.”

“My hair is perfect,” Oikawa says. “Everyone else’s sucks.”

Kuroo shoves him out of his lap, and Oikawa shrieks. “My hair looks great!” Kuroo declares.

“Mine looks cool!” Bokuto adds, sticking out his tongue. “You’re just jealous that my hair’s longer than yours!”

“What’s wrong with my hair?” Daichi asks.

“You and Ushiwaka have such boring haircuts,” Oikawa declares. “At least Bo-chan and Tetsu-chan have dimension to theirs.”

“Better than looking like a rooster,” Daichi shoots back.

“I suppose we’re no longer being nice,” Ushijima says thoughtfully, poking at the fire. “What a shame. It was nice while it lasted.”

“Awww, Ushijima, it’s okay,” Bokuto says, leaning onto him. Oikawa’s secretly impressed that Ushijima didn’t fall over from Bokuto’s weight. “I like your hair, even though I think you’d look great if you dyed it.”

“What color?” Ushijima asks, and Oikawa snorts.

“Purple!” Kuroo calls out.

“Maybe.” In the flickering firelight, Oikawa can make out Ushijima’s smile. “Should we open the marshmallows?”

“Yes,” says Kuroo, ripping open the bag and skewering them. He passes out the skewers. “Don’t lose them; that’s all the skewers we have.”

“Thanks,” Daichi says, holding his over the fire.

“Shoot!” Bokuto yells almost immediately, waving a flaming skewer around. “Mine caught on fire!”

“Blow it out!” Kuroo exclaims.

“We didn’t get s'mores ingredients,” Oikawa says suddenly, staring at his uncooked marshmallow.

“Whatever.” Daichi rotates his marshmallow. “We’ll just eat them plain.”

“That’s going to be messy,” Ushijima says.

“Isn’t that what life’s all about?” Bokuto asks. He’s already toasting a second marshmallow. There’s a streak of white fluff on his cheek.

“Shit,” Kuroo says suddenly. “Mine fell off!”

“And you made fun of me for burning mine!” Bokuto exclaims.

“We’ve got more,” Daichi says, laughing as he passes Kuroo the bag of marshmallows. “Oh, shit!”

He pulls back his flaming marshmallow and hastily blows it out, before shoving it into his mouth.

“Isn’t that hot?” Ushijima asks.

“Yup.” Daichi only grins as he takes a sip of soju to wash down his marshmallow. “But that’s the whole point of roasting them, isn’t it?”

“You’re a wild man, Daichi,” Kuroo says. “I can’t believe everyone thinks you’re the responsible friend.”

“You gave me that title!”

Oikawa laughs before popping his (perfectly toasted, he might add) marshmallow into his mouth. Sugar gets on his lips.

“We all know Tetsu-chan’s the most reasonable,” he says, poking another marshmallow into the fire. “Dai-chan is just the best at remembering things for preparedness, plus he always drives.”

“We take turns using the brain cell,” Bokuto adds, beaming. Somehow, he’s managed to get even more marshmallow fluff around his mouth. How many has he eaten?

“Bokuto uses the brain cell the least,” Ushijima says calmly.

Oikawa, Kuroo, and Daichi snicker.

“Ushijima!” Bokuto cries. “How could you betray me like that?”

“I just watched you try to put a flaming marshmallow in your mouth,” Ushijima replies.

“Do not eat marshmallows that are on fire!” Kuroo exclaims. “Blow them out first!”

Oikawa laughs, before wailing as his marshmallow slides off his stick and into the fire. Kuroo passes him the bag, and Oikawa carefully roasts that one, hoping that this time, it won’t fall off.

They continue like that for a while, roasting marshmallows and drinking their soju. Marshmallow fluff clings to Oikawa’s lips. Daichi nearly burns his mouth on a marshmallow, multiple times, as he shoves them as soon as they come off the fire. Kuroo loses two more and complains each time they fall in. Bokuto has at least half of a marshmallow on his face. Ushijima, weirdly enough, never loses a single marshmallow, and he never burns them either.

“Alright,” Oikawa declares when they’ve roasted about half the bag. “This is the most important part of tonight: we’re doing a ritualistic cleanse.”

“We’re doing a what?” Daichi and Kuroo ask.

“A ritualistic cleanse!” Oikawa stands up and dusts sand off his clothes. “I brought photos of everyone’s exes, and we’re going to burn them. And then we’re going to get more drunk.”

His friends all stare at him.

“I don’t feel like seeing Semi’s face,” Ushijima says in the silence.

“I thought we weren’t talking about our exes,” Bokuto adds.

“We can’t avoid them forever,” Oikawa snaps. “That’s why we’re burning their photos. Besides.” He glares at Daichi and Kuroo, who are both quiet. “You all had too many photos of them left in your rooms.”

“…you took Yui’s photos from my room?” Daichi asks.

“Kenma broke my heart last night,” Kuroo protests. “I couldn’t take them down.”

“Yeah, and he’s your best friend, so you won’t get rid of them anyways,” Oikawa retorts. He pulls out the envelope. “Look. You don’t have to burn them; I just thought it would be a good idea.”

“No, you’re right.” Daichi holds out his hands. “I should get rid of them. There’s no reason for me to have them.”

Oikawa wordlessly pulls out the photos of Michimiya that he snagged from Daichi’s room earlier that day and hands them to him.

“When did you grab these?” Daichi asks, already going through the stack.

“When I went back to use the bathroom,” Oikawa replies. “Don’t worry, I just went on a photo hunt.”

“Did you have any of Yukie?” Bokuto asks in a small voice.

“Yeah.” Oikawa pulls out a small stack. It’s the smallest, mostly because Bokuto had already left behind most of the photos. But Oikawa had printed a few off of his phone so Bokuto had more to burn (he’s a good friend like that). 

“Thanks,” says Bokuto, gazing at the stack sadly. “Huh. She didn’t have to be so mean about everything.”

Oikawa sits back down. “You don’t need her,” he says fiercely. “You’re not too dependent on each other or anything.”

Daichi, Bokuto, Kuroo, and Ushijima all look at each other.

Oh, shoot.

“What did Iwaizumi say?” Daichi asks softly.

“Nothing,” Oikawa snaps, pulling out his own stack of photos of Iwaizumi. “Nothing important.”

He can feel the tears gathering in his eyes anyways.

“…I’ll burn the photos of Semi,” Ushijima says softly. “Thank you for grabbing them, Oikawa.”

Oikawa digs out the stack of Semi photos and hands them to Ushijima. “You’re better off with someone who can understand your bluntness,” he declares. “You don’t need him.”

“Who wants to go first?” Daichi asks.

“Me.” Kuroo rises before looking at Oikawa. “Give me the ones of Kenma.”

“Are you sure?” Oikawa asks. He figured Kuroo wouldn’t want to burn the photos, but he still went through Kuroo’s room and selected photos from moments that Kuroo had called “almost dates”. Photo strips of just the two of them, mostly.

Kuroo could keep some pictures of Kenma, but not those ones.

“Yes.” Kuroo holds his hand out, and Oikawa takes out the last stack of photos and hands them to him.

Kuroo’s face remains impassive as he thumbs through the photos, and then he screams and throws them into the bonfire.

“Fuck!” he yells. “It’s not fair!”

Oikawa blinks up at Kuroo, who cries as the photos burn.

“As long as he’s happy,” Kuroo says, sitting back on the sand. “Fuck. As long as he’s happy, it’s fine.” His voice breaks over fine, though.

Bokuto slides over to Kuroo and wraps his arms around him. “It’s okay, Kuroo,” he says softly. “It’s okay.”

“Sorry,” Kuroo mumbles through his tears.

“It’s okay,” says Daichi. Oikawa looks over, and Daichi’s carefully lighting the corner of one photo on fire. “I really miss her.”

“It is weird, not seeing Yukie anymore,” Bokuto agrees. He keeps one arm around Kuroo, but he tosses a photo into the fire. “I keep wondering how she’s doing.”

“I wish I could have been enough,” Ushijima says calmly. He’s staring at the photos Oikawa gave him. “I wonder where I went wrong.”

“Iwa-chan said I was too dependent on him,” Oikawa confesses. “He said that we didn’t know how to be our own person.” He laughs wetly before pulling his knees to his chest. “He also said that he was tired of us fucking after every fight, and never talking about what caused it.”

“Then talk to him,” Daichi says suddenly, lighting another photo. “But not right now. Figure out who you are first, and then you can talk to him, assuming you still want to.”

“What would I even say?” Oikawa asks, wiping his eyes.

“You don’t have to talk him,” Bokuto replies. “I’m never talking to Yukie again. Not if I can help it.” He punctuates his sentence by throwing in another photo.

“I don’t know if I want to see Semi,” Ushijima adds. “I suppose that I would like to know where I went wrong, but looking at him again…I suppose I don’t actually want to see him.”

With that, Ushijima tosses the entire stack into the flames. The fire shoots sparks as he tosses them in.

“I just wish he had told me that he wanted it to end,” Ushijima finishes, quiet tears rolling down his cheeks. 

“I miss him so much,” Oikawa mumbles, looking at the photos of Iwaizumi. He can’t stop seeing the key lying on his counter, the hastily scribbled, “I’m staying at Mattsun’s and Makki’s. Don’t call” note next to it. The Godzilla plushie sitting in Iwaizumi’s trash can, instead of on the bed where it should be, haunts him.

Oikawa had actually rescued it, placing it on Iwaizumi’s empty bed, before locking up the apartment and leaving for Kuroo’s last night.

“I just want him back,” he confesses, tears gathering in his eyes once more. “I don’t know how to have a life without him.”

“Hey.” A still-weepy Kuroo nudges him gently. Bokuto is still clinging to Kuroo, unshed tears shining in his golden eyes. “I’d say today was a good start to living without him.”

“Fuck,” Oikawa blurts out, before the tears start falling. “I thought. Fuck.”

“Oikawa, hey,” Bokuto says softly, holding out his other arm. “Come here.”

“I kept checking my Snap to see if he’d watched it,” Oikawa confesses through his tears. “I want him to see that I can have fun without him.”

“Oh, Oikawa,” Daichi sighs. He slips over to where Kuroo and Bokuto are huddled in the sand and wraps one arm around Kuroo before pulling Oikawa in with the other. “Ushijima, come over here.”

“Right,” Ushijima says, and then he scoots through the sand before leaning on Bokuto’s other side. “It…hurts. A lot.”

Bokuto tosses another photo in. “So much for not spending our nights crying.”

“The sea air is nice.” Daichi unwinds his arm from Kuroo and tosses the last photos of Michimiya into the fire. “Besides, I don’t think the goal was to stop crying.”

“I wish it didn’t hurt so much,” Kuroo says through tears.

“Same,” Oikawa sobs. He looks down at his stack of Iwaizumi photos. Burning them was his idea; he’s the one who needs to get rid of them. “I just…fuck!” He stands up and braces himself to drop the photos in the fire. “Fuck!” he yells again. “I wish it didn’t hurt!”

He holds the photos over the fire, forces himself to breath, and then releases them.

Iwaizumi’s face vanishes into orange and black and the scent of smoke as Oikawa watches the photos curl and burn from the heat. Tears are still streaming down his face. He bites his lip to try and keep the sobs in. Daichi’s hand reaches up and grabs his, and Oikawa cries as Daichi laces their fingers together and squeezes, gentle and solid.

“Fuck,” Oikawa says softly, dropping down on to the sand and leaning against Daichi. “Fuck.”

“Fuck,” Kuroo agrees.

They lean against each other, nothing but the crash of waves and the crackle of the fire to keep their quiet sobs company.

“That was easier than I expected,” Ushijima says suddenly, breaking the silence. “Thank you for bringing the photos, Oikawa.”

Oikawa laughs weakly. “Anytime.” 

Daichi takes a shaky breath. Oikawa can feel the way his shoulder trembles under his head. “We should probably go back to the motel,” he says. “Get some sleep.”

“We can sit out a little longer,” Ushijima replies. “It’s not like we have anywhere to be tomorrow.”

**Step Six: Stop Talking to Your Ex, Damnit (Reading Their Messages Still Counts)**

It’s almost noon by the time they’ve packed up their stuff and are ready to leave the motel.

“Can we pick up coffee?” Oikawa asks, climbing into the back seat. He glares at Ushijima, who’s sitting in his regular spot again. “I want Dutch Bros.”

“Of course,” Kuroo says. He’s back in his normal spot of shotgun, much to his delight (and Oikawa’s chagrin). “Daichi, drive us to Dutch Bros.”

“I’m going to need to get gas soon,” Daichi remarks, not looking up.

Bokuto comes running out from where he used the restroom one last time. “What’s the plan?” he asks, climbing into the back seat. “Continue heading south for a while? Hit up another beach?”

“Dutch Bros,” Oikawa informs him.

“Perfect.” Bokuto grins. “I thought I saw one last night.”

“I’m looking,” Daichi replies absently. “We also need gas, so if we could get both of those things at once, that would be great.”

“Do we have everything?” Ushijima asks.

“I think so,” Kuroo says. “If not, well.” He shrugs. “It’ll suck to be us.”

“It already does suck to be us,” Oikawa mumbles, and Daichi rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything as he drives them out of the motel parking lot.

The mood is much more somber today, Kuroo thinks, as they drive down a few roads. They make a quick stop for gas, but it’s a much duller affair than yesterday. To be fair, it is hard to top watching Daichi get hit on.

But last night really had taken a toll on them, hadn’t it?

“Tetsu-chan, if you’re riding shotgun, at least put on some music,” Oikawa says as they leave the gas station. “That’s the whole reason I don’t like it when Ushiwaka-chan sits there.”

“You usually take the aux from him if he sits there for more than an hour, anyways,” Bokuto points out.

“I’ll put on music,” Kuroo interjects. “How are we feeling? Personally, I am in the mood for the Mamma Mia soundtracks.”

“Ooh, that’s a good idea,” Bokuto says, perking up. “Both?”

“Duh,” Kuroo says. He plugs in his phone and scrolls until he locates the Mamma Mia album. The opening notes of “Honey Honey” fill the car, and Kuroo glances back to check on his friends.

Bokuto and Oikawa both have slight grins on their faces. Ushijima nods his head a little, and even Daichi taps his fingers on the wheel as he pulls into the Dutch Bros drive through line.

“Everyone, tell me your order,” he says.

“Strawberry lemonade!” Bokuto calls.

“I want galaxy fish tea, green tea base,” Oikawa declares.

“Iced tea is fine,” Ushijima says.

“Kuroo?” Daichi asks.

Kuroo frowns. “I’m trying to decide. You know I like to get something different every time.”

Daichi groans. “Hurry up.”

“Always.” Kuroo scrolls through his phone quickly, scanning the options. “I don’t think I’ve had a Pink Flamingo Frost yet.”

“A what?” Daichi asks. “Is that a real thing?” 

Kuroo holds up his phone and points at it. Daichi rolls his eyes at him. 

“You’re ridiculous,” he says, but he pulls up to the window and places their orders, adding a vanilla freeze to the list. Soon, their drinks are ready, and Kuroo helps Daichi lift the drinks into their car. Daichi drives off and Kuroo passes them out.

“Oikawa, what even is a galaxy fish?” he asks, passing the tea to him.

“Only the coolest drink ever,” Oikawa says. “It’s called galaxy fish. What’s not to like?”

“Where’s my lemonade?” Bokuto asks.

“Oi, be patient,” Kuroo grumbles, reaching around the seat to hand Bokuto the lemonade. Bokuto accepts with a pleased nod and promptly shoves a straw in.

“Here’s yours, Ushijima,” he says, passing over the iced tea.

“Thanks,” says Ushijima. “Still headed south?”

“Unless someone has any other suggestions,” Daichi replies. “There’s definitely more beaches we can hit up.”

“I didn’t pack a swimsuit, Dai-chan,” Oikawa protests. “We can’t go to more beaches unless we stop somewhere so I can get one.”

“I thought I told you to pack it,” Kuroo says. In fact, he’s positive he told Oikawa to pack his swimsuit.

Oikawa’s face darkens. “Iwa-chan and I had matching ones.”

Kuroo groans internally. When will they stop accidentally bringing up something that reminds them of their exes?

“Okay,” says Daichi, ever the mediator. “There’s bound to be a place we can stop at somewhere.”

Bokuto gasps. “We can get matching swimsuits!”

“…what color would they be?” Ushijima asks.

“You already have a swimsuit,” Kuroo points out.

“Not one that matches with Oikawa!” Bokuto responds. “It can be commemorative!”

Kuroo adores Bokuto, but sometimes, he looks at his best bro and finds himself thinking, What the fuck.

“Commemorative swimsuits,” Ushijima says thoughtfully. He nods. “That would be fun.”

Well, if Ushijima thinks the idea has some merit, Kuroo could reconsider.

Yeah, right. Knowing Oikawa, he’ll want it to be alien-related, and Kuroo draws the line at that. He doesn’t want to be caught dead wearing alien-themed swimwear.

He can’t have people thinking he’s some kind of nerd.

“No offense,” Daichi begins, an eyebrow twitching. “But I’m about to voluntarily live with the four of you in the same place. I don’t think I want to get matching swimsuits as well.”

Well, Kuroo no longer has to debate about whether or not he wants to get matching swimsuits. His decision has been made, although he may have just sacrificed his dignity for it. 

“I think it’d be fun,” he declares. “We should get ones with patterns. Little pineapples or something.”

“What if we got matching pajamas too?!” Bokuto asks, bouncing a little in his seat. “Commemorative pajamas!”

“We’ll see what we can find,” Daichi decides, but there’s definitely a wrinkle in his forehead that wasn’t there when they left the Dutch Bros. Kuroo wonders if Ushijima catalogued the slow descent of Daichi’s madness yesterday.

He sort of wishes he was sitting in the back, mostly so he could “accidentally” kick Daichi’s seat again while wrestling with Oikawa.

…No wonder Kenma chose Hinata over him. He’s a terrible person.

Kuroo sighs and checks his phone (again) to see if Kenma had messaged him. He frowns upon seeing nothing, but, well, what did he expect? He and Oikawa (and Daichi had helped, actually) had drafted a message explaining what happened and where they went, and told Kenma not worry, and that he’d be back by the end of next week.

“Tetsu-chan, you better not be checking your messages,” Oikawa says warningly.

“I’m looking for places to get swimwear,” Kuroo lies. “You wanted some, right?”

Oikawa narrows his eyes at him but only nods. The car falls silent once more, the Mamma Mia soundtrack the only thing playing in the background.

Kuroo would check his messages again, but. He already knows that Kenma hasn’t sent anything.

“Oikawa,” Bokuto says at some point. “Are you checking your snap again?”

Oikawa bites his lip. “No,” he says, rather unconvincingly.

“I know you posted on it,” Ushijima points out. “You leaned over me to film the scenery passing by.”

“Fine,” Oikawa grumbles. “But I’m not talking to him like Tetsu-chan.”

“I’m not talking to him!” Kuroo exclaims. "I'm just seeing if he talked to me!"

“I have an idea!” Bokuto declares. “We trade phones for a day!”

“Why?” Daichi asks.

“Besides you two, Ushijima hasn’t blocked Semi’s number,” Bokuto says matter-of-factly. “And I know for a fact that Semi keeps trying to contact him. He had at least three missed calls from him last night.”

“Don’t bring me into this,” Ushijima says. “Unlike Kuroo and Oikawa, I am not obsessing over whether or not he has contacted me.”

“I see,” says Daichi, in a tone that means that he agrees with Bokuto (for once). Kuroo looks out the window and glares. “In that case, Oikawa can have Ushijima’s phone; Bokuto, you may have Oikawa’s; Kuroo, take Bokuto’s; Ushijima, you can have mine, and Kuroo, I’ll take yours.”

“Nope.” Kuroo puts his phone down. “Mine’s in the aux.” He holds his hands up. “I’m not using it.”

“That’s a lie,” Oikawa says. “But let’s focus on the other part of Bokuto’s statement. Ushiwaka-chan, why is Semi still able to contact you?”

“…I’m not responding to him,” Ushijima says, sidestepping the question entirely. “I am simply leaving him on read.”

Oikawa looks at Bokuto, who just shrugs and takes a sip of his mostly empty lemonade. Kuroo glances back and Oikawa gives him a look that says, _can you believe this guy?_

Which, okay. In Ushijima’s defense, both Kuroo and Oikawa have been checking to see if their crushes/exes have seen their activity. So, letting all of Semi’s messages through is ultimately…relatively benign.

It just doesn’t fit with their whole getting-over-their-exes agenda.

“You guys told me to delete Yukie’s contact once I had all my stuff,” Bokuto points out. “It’s hypocritical of you to not follow the same advice.”

Oikawa looks at Kuroo again, before sighing and putting his phone down.

“I don’t want to trade phones,” he says warily. “But I won’t open Snap until dinner.”

“I can leave my phone alone,” Kuroo agrees when Bokuto and Oikawa look at him. Even Daichi gives him the side-eye. “It’s ultimately not that important.”

They all turn to Ushijima. Daichi even makes eye contact with Ushijima through the rearview mirror.

“…one of you ought to delete it for me,” Ushijima says, holding out his phone.

Oikawa snatches it up and immediately starts scrolling through it.

“Ushiwaka-chan,” he says after a moment. “Can I block him?”

“Fine.” Ushijima closes his eyes. “I don’t have anything to say to him, anyways.”

“Okay.” Oikawa taps around before handing Ushijima his phone. “Like I said: you need someone who can appreciate your bluntness.”

“What did Semi say, anyways?” Bokuto asks.

“Apologies, mostly,” Oikawa says airily. “But that reminds me. All of you! You’re not obligated to accept every apology, you know. Just acknowledge it if it seems sincere.”

“That applies to you, too,” Daichi reminds him. “You don’t have to accept any apologies that you don’t want to.”

Oikawa lifts his shoulder in a half shrug. “I forgave Ushiwaka for the high school drama, didn’t I?”

“That’s not–” Daichi snorts. “Yes. You did.”

“Thank you,” Ushijima says softly.

Kuroo picks up his phone again. “I’m skipping the sad ones,” he says. “We need more than Slipping Through My Fingers.” The song’s only a minute in, but it’s definitely not helping them get over their sadness.

“We’re a sad bunch,” Daichi points out. 

“Not for long!” Kuroo declares. “Dancing Queen, anyone?”

“Yeah!” Bokuto cheers. “I was going to ask you to switch the song when Angel Eyes came on, but no one was saying anything, so I decided to keep quiet.”

“You can change it,” Ushijima agrees.

“Good,” Oikawa says. “It’s about time we turned this into a proper party.”

Kuroo grins. “Hasn’t it been a proper party since yesterday?” he asks. “We even had a bonfire.”

“Not a very large one,” Daichi snorts.

“We’ll build a larger one tonight,” Bokuto declares.

“Says who?” Daichi demands.

“Me!” Bokuto replies. “Ushijima, you’ll build us one, right?”

“If you want,” Ushijima says. “We should get graham crackers and chocolate for smores this time, too.”

“Wait, I just had an idea! We should go skinny dipping!” Oikawa exclaims.

“What happened to you needing a swimsuit?” Kuroo asks, mostly to piss Oikawa off.

“Why would we do that?” Ushijima asks at the same time.

“Absolutely not,” Daichi says.

“You people have no sense of fun,” Oikawa declares.

“I think it would be fun,” Bokuto tells him, patting Oikawa’s shoulder. “What’s stopping us? This is our adventure of spontaneity and freedom and trying new things! Let’s do it!”

“I feel like that’s illegal,” Daichi says. “Public indecency?”

“You’re boring,” Bokuto and Oikawa say together.

“I’ve always wanted to try it,” Kuroo remarks. “Never had the chance before.”

“I still don’t see the point of it,” Ushijima says.

“Don’t worry about it,” Oikawa tells him, clapping his hands together. “What do you all say?”

Daichi sighs, and his eyebrow twitches again. “I should have never suggested this trip.”

“But you did,” Kuroo points out.

“Trust me.” Daichi fixes him with a baleful glare, and Kuroo shrinks back in his seat. “I’m aware.”

**Step Seven: Make New Friends**

Kuroo has moved on from Mamma Mia and is now blasting a mixture of Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers, and One Direction from his phone. Daichi cannot say that he hates it.

...look, Harry Styles is hot.

“When can we get something to eat?” Bokuto demands. “I’m hungry.”

Oikawa laughs. “Should have bought snacks when we got the swimsuits.” 

Daichi shrugs. “We’ll stop when we see something we want, okay? Pay attention to the road signs.”

“Can we do In N Out today?” Oikawa asks.

“That sounds good!” Bokuto declares.

Ushijima nods in silent agreement.

“Yeah, I’m down,” Kuroo says. “Daichi, look for an In N Out.”

“Okay.” Daichi frowns and looks at the signs passing by, keeping an eye out for the familiar arrow.

“Wait!” Bokuto shouts, and Daichi flinches but luckily does not hit the pedals. He’s gotten used to driving with his friends shouting in the background. “Cane’s!”

“Cane’s?!” Oikawa shouts, practically clambering over Bokuto to look out the window. “We have to go to Cane’s!”

“Yes,” Ushijima says, nodding. “It’s in two exits.”

“Oh, I haven’t had Cane’s in forever,” Kuroo sighs, flopping back in his seat. “Daichi, change of plans: we’re going to Cane’s.”

Daichi snorts. “I figured as much,” he replies. “As soon as Bokuto yelled ‘Cane’s’, I knew there was no way we were going to keep looking for In N Out.”

“Cane’s is so good,” Oikawa declares. “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“You’re that excited for chicken, huh?” Daichi asks, smirking.

“Like you won’t ask for extra sauce,” Oikawa snaps.

“It’s all in the sauce,” Kuroo says, almost dreamily. “I don’t know how they do it. The chicken? Good. The toast? Good. The sauce? Angels came down from heaven and dropped that shit off for us mere mortals to consume. We are blessed to be in its presence.”

“This is going to be some fantastic chicken,” Bokuto agrees, nodding his head furiously.

“It’s been a while,” Ushijima says. “Drive faster.” 

Daichi snorts. “If I speed up and we get caught, we’ll have to wait even longer for Cane’s.”

“That is a risk I am willing to take,” Ushijima replies, and Daichi shakes his head as Oikawa bursts into laughter while Bokuto nods seriously.

“Counterpoint: Cane’s comes faster if we speed,” Kuroo adds.

Daichi rolls his eyes, but he can’t help the fond grin that crosses his face. “I already was,” he says. “But I refuse to go over eighty.”

“Eighty-one?” Oikawa tries.

“There’s practically no difference there,” Bokuto says. “Go up to ninety.”

“Ninety is a hard no!”

“Coward,” Kuroo tells him.

“I am in no hurry to crash because I was speeding for some chicken,” Daichi replies.

“It’s some good chicken, though,” Bokuto points out.

Daichi sighs. As much as he loves his friends, sometimes he really, really wants to abandon them on the side of the road.

He can’t believe that he agreed to move in with them.

“I think the chicken would be worth it,” Ushijima adds. “I would speed up.”

“This is why I am designated driver,” Daichi retorts.

“And because we can’t all fit in Ushiwaka-chan’s truck,” Oikawa adds.

“Nobody can fit in that truck,” Kuroo points out.

“You will all simply have to shrink,” Ushijima replies, mirth evident in his eyes. “It suits my purposes.”

“I think Daichi fits,” Bokuto says thoughtfully. “Since he’s so short.”

“What the fuck?” Daichi turns around to glare at Bokuto. “You only have four inches on me!”

“Five, if you count his hair,” Kuroo adds unhelpfully.

“You are so lucky that we’re going to Cane’s,” Daichi grumbles. “Otherwise I’d skip it.”

“Saved by the fantastic chicken,” Oikawa says.

“It is really good chicken,” Bokuto says, again.

“Maybe I should leave you all at Cane’s,” Daichi muses. “You could have endless delicious chicken. I could have peace and quiet.”

He wouldn’t, of course. But as he exits the freeway, it’s nice to finally have some quiet.

The quiet lasts for all of two minutes before he hears Ushijima’s sharp inhale, and he knows that one person has already spotted Cane’s. Daichi braces himself for the inevitable screaming.

Sure enough, Oikawa shrieks, and Bokuto and Kuroo both lean over to peer out the window.

“There it is,” Bokuto says, almost reverently. “Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers.”

“The best chicken you will ever eat,” Kuroo adds.

“Heaven is a place on earth, and it is the inside of a Cane’s,” Oikawa says.

“They’re miracle workers,” Ushijima says.

The four of them all lean over and look at Daichi. Daichi rolls his eyes but finishes up their silly pitch for Cane’s anyways.

“You can never have too much Cane’s,” he suggests.

“Nice!” Kuroo actually claps. “I think we should save that one.”

“My heaven line was kind of stupid,” Oikawa remarks.

“Mine didn’t really fit the rest of it,” Daichi adds as he pulls into a parking spot. “Alright, now get out, it’s Cane’s time.”

“Thank god,” Bokuto declares, and he’s opening the door and tumbling across the parking lot. “Come on! Cane’s awaits!”

Oikawa rolls out, hot on Bokuto’s heels, and then Ushijima and Kuroo hurry after them. Daichi groans; Oikawa forgot to close the door in his haste. He shuts and locks the car, then rushes after them. 

The scent of fried chicken greets him as he steps inside. Bokuto is practically vibrating as he bounces on the balls of his feet. Kuroo pretends to wipe away a tear.

Ushijima walks to the counter like a normal person and places his order.

“Quit the dramatics,” Daichi hisses at his friends.

“Dai-chan, we’re having a moment,” Oikawa replies. “Go order if you don’t want to be associated with me.”

Daichi rolls his eyes but joins Ushijima in line. Ushijima is already filling up his cup with soda.

Actually, knowing Ushijima, it’s probably water.

Daichi orders the box combo and joins Ushijima in hovering awkwardly by the drinks. Bokuto finally bounces over to order, before he joins Daichi and Ushijima in waiting.

“I’m so excited,” he says, still vibrating next to them. “We would not have gotten Cane’s if we had stayed at home.”

At some point, Kuroo and Oikawa stop doing whatever is was they were doing and place their orders. Oikawa plants his elbow on Daichi’s shoulder (it’s an awkward angle) before Daichi shoves him off.

“If I leave you at Cane’s, you won’t cry because you can just drown your sorrows in chicken and I can leave guilt-free,” Daichi says.

“I get no respect,” Oikawa retorts.

“Do you even deserve it?” Bokuto asks.

Oikawa gasps and Kuroo snickers. Daichi rubs his temples in fear of the oncoming headache.

“My order is ready,” Ushijima declares, most likely just to cut off whatever Oikawa was about say, and he strides over to grab his chicken.

“If I don’t deserve respect, what does that say about you?” Oikawa hisses, sticking out his tongue at Bokuto. Bokuto responds in kind.

“They’re children,” Daichi says to no one in particular. “I wanted to go on a road trip with children.”

“Once a dad, always a dad,” Kuroo says, patting his shoulder.

Daichi ducks out from under his arm and grabs his order. “I hate you,” he grumbles as he returns.

Beside them, Bokuto and Oikawa haven’t ended their strange staring/sticking tongue out contest.

Kuroo grabs his food.

“They look like idiots,” Daichi says once Kuroo comes back.

“I got photos,” Kuroo replies, snapping yet another photo. “Bokuto, Oikawa, go get your food!”

Both of them snap to attention and practically run to the counter, grab their food, and then Bokuto and Oikawa are herding Daichi, Kuroo, and Ushijima out of the Cane’s.

“We’re eating this in a park somewhere,” Oikawa declares. “There’s got to be one around here.”

“I’m on it,” Kuroo says, already looking on his phone for a place where they can sit down. “Follow me.”

“I want to eat my Cane’s,” Bokuto says as they walk down the street. “It smells amazing. I haven’t had it in so long.”

“If you eat it while walking, you’re going to fall and lose the chicken,” Daichi replies. “I can already see it happening.”

“I’m not clumsy!” Bokuto protests.

“By the way, Bokuto, touch my Cane’s and I’ll actually kill you,” Oikawa says, hugging his box to his chest. “You steal even one fry and I’ll shave your head tonight.”

“I would never,” Bokuto says solemnly. “Cane’s is sacred. Taco Bell isn’t.”

Kuroo snorts. “Okay, here we are!” he declares, leading them into a little park. “There has to be a table around here.”

Soon enough, they spot a table and are making their way over when Bokuto freezes.

“Hey hey hey!” he shouts. “Akaashi!!” And he takes off to a different table, one that’s already occupied with six other men.

“Bokuto, get back here!” Kuroo shouts, running after him.

“Wait, I think I see Shirabu,” Ushijima says, following Bokuto.

“Who’s Shirabu?” Daichi asks Oikawa. Oikawa shrugs.

“Are we going to follow them or…” Oikawa looks at the Cane’s in his hands, before sighing. “Alright. Oi, Bo-chan! Tetsu-chan! Ushiwaka-chan! Don’t leave us behind!”

Daichi laughs but follows them to the table. A man with severely angled caramel bangs is standing up, waving slightly at Ushijima. Bokuto skids to a halt in front of a dark-haired man.

Then Daichi sees a very familiar blond undercut.

“Shit,” he says. “Oikawa, we have to go.”

“Why?” Oikawa asks. “Is something…” He looks at Daichi, then back at the table, and then he smirks.

“Dai-chan,” he says, mirth dancing in his eyes. “Dai-chan! You want to run away?!” He grabs Daichi’s wrist and drags him over. “Yahoo!” he greets the table. “Sorry for the intrusion, Bokuto was really excited to see…” He looks at the dark-haired man next to Bokuto, who currently looks like he’s trying to melt.

“Akaashi!” Bokuto says, completely unaware of how red Akaashi’s face is. Daichi sympathizes with him.

“And I didn’t know Ushijima knew anyone here,” Oikawa adds. “And Dai-chan here–”

Daichi squeezes Oikawa’s shoulder and glares at him. “Finish that sentence and I will eat your Cane’s.”

“Oh!” Undercut with a Tongue Piercing exclaims. A flash of silver glints on his tongue, and Daichi wants to die. “It’s the Gas Station Guy!”

Daichi feels a small part of his soul die when Kuroo’s eyes light up in recognition and a familiar smirk crosses his face.

“You’ll have to forgive Daichi,” Kuroo says, grinning. “It turns out he wouldn’t know flirting if it hit him in the face with a neon sign.”

“Wait, Akaashi,” Bokuto says. “Are these your friends you said you were travelling with?! I didn’t know our friends knew each other!”

“You came over right after Shirabu and I had just met,” Ushijima informs him.

“And Blondie flirted with Daichi the other day,” Kuroo adds.

Akaashi slides a little further down on the bench. Daichi wants to join him.

“Terushima,” says the sleepy-eyed man next to the Undercut and Tongue Piercing Boy. “Did you hit on him at the gas station yesterday?”

“He looked cute, babe.” Undercut and Tongue Piercing Boy gives the man next to him a smile. “I was thinking we could have–OW!”

The sleepy-eyed man smacks Terushima on the head. “Sorry about him, really,” he says. “Terushima will flirt with anything that moves. I’m Ennoshita Chikara, by the way.”

“You forgot to mention that he’s your boyfriend,” the brunet sitting next to Akaashi says. “I’m Futakuchi Kenji. The one trying to melt into the bench is Akaashi Keiji; the angled bangs bitch is Shirabu Kenjirou; and the creampuff next to Ennoshita goes by Yahaba Shigeru.”

“You are so rude!” Yahaba exclaims. “And I do NOT look like a creampuff!”

“That’s not what Kyoutani would say,” Futakuchi replies. “Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, who are you all?”

Oikawa snorts. “You guys are weird,” he says. “I’m Oikawa Tooru.”

“Sawamura Daichi,” Daichi says tiredly. At least Terushima isn’t single. Daichi doesn’t think he could handle more flirting attempts.

“I’m Bokuto Koutarou, and this is my best bro Kuroo Tetsurou!” Bokuto exclaims. Kuroo nods at them. “And that’s Ushijima Wakatoshi! We’re going on a road trip! What about you guys?”

“Did you ever figure out where you were going, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asks, straightening up as he says that.

“Nope!” Bokuto beams. “We’re taking it day by day! That’s the best way to do it!”

“We’re going south,” Kuroo says. “Don’t listen to Bokuto. We have a plan.”

Shirabu looks at Ushijima and asks, “These are your friends?”

“Yes,” Ushijima says calmly. “We are going to get an apartment together once we return.”

Shirabu hums a little.

“Chikara,” Terushima says, leaning against Ennoshita. “Are you absolutely, positively, 100% sure that –”

“You finish that sentence and you’re sleeping in the car,” Ennoshita replies. “What did you say to Sawamura? Why does he look like Akaashi on a bad day?”

“Oh, that was my fault,” Daichi says. He might not know Terushima, but he doesn’t want to get him in trouble. “I just didn’t know how to respond.”

“He didn’t just not know how to respond,” Oikawa interjects, leaning on Daichi. “He doesn’t know how to flirt.”

“Oikawa.”

Ennoshita shrugs. “Most people don’t know how to handle Terushima anyways.”

“Chikara!” Terushima releases a betrayed squawk. “I thought you loved me!”

“He doesn’t,” Yahaba and Futakuchi say in unison. Futakuchi holds his hand up for a high five.

“Absolutely not; you introduced me as a creampuff,” Yahaba says, glaring at him. Futakuchi frowns but puts his hand down.

“I’d like you more if you stopped hitting on every hot person you saw,” Ennoshita adds.

“Ennoshita, are you sure you want to be dating him?” Oikawa asks jokingly. “I’m prettier.”

“I’m right here,” Terushima says, but Yahaba puts his phone down and leans in with a grin.

“No, Chikara, you should date me,” Yahaba says. “I’m almost as pretty as Oikawa AND I’ve known you for longer than he has.”

“I’d date you, but I’m happily married to Aone,” Futakuchi says.

“Oh, are we fighting for Ennoshita’s hand again?” Shirabu asks, looking over from his conversation with Ushijima. “In that case, I’m smarter than all these blockheads combined. And I’m funny.”

“Dai-chan,” Oikawa hisses. “What did I start? Am I a homewrecker?”

“No idea,” Daichi whispers back.

“Funny-looking, with your bangs,” Akaashi says calmly. “And I believe that I would be the best person to marry Chikara, because not only am I the prettiest person here–”

“You really are,” Bokuto interjects. “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else come close.”

Akaashi’s eyes widen and he sputters a little, turning red as he does.

“Akaashi?” Ennoshita asks.

“Owl,” Akaashi blurts out. Then he promptly buries his face in his hands.

“Oh.” Ennoshita smirks. “Well, thanks for your offers, everyone, but Terushima fed me cake earlier, so I’m keeping him.”

“He only loves me because I feed him,” Terushima whines.

“Yup.” But Ennoshita’s lacing their fingers together.

“Do you guys normally talk about dating Ennoshita?” Oikawa asks.

“Unfortunately,” Terushima says. He’s leaning against Ennoshita now. “They don’t respect the fact that he’s mine.”

“Please stop being gross,” Yahaba says.

“Ignore him,” Ennoshita says. “He’s bitter because his boyfriend couldn’t come.”

“Kyoutani is NOT my anything,” Yahaba snaps. “I would punch him if I could.”

“Chikara never said anything about Kyoutani,” Terushima points out. “Besides, Futakuchi is the only other non-single one here so he’s the only who can be bitter about missing his boyfriend.”

“It shouldn’t work like that,” Shirabu calls from where he’s still talking to Ushijima. Daichi thinks he sees them trading phone numbers. “If anything, Akaashi, Yahaba, and I get to complain because we’re still single.”

“I’m–” Bokuto starts, but Kuroo promptly covers his mouth with his hand.

“Three, two, one,” Daichi murmurs.

“Ew!” Kuroo exclaims two second later, promptly reaching out to wipe his hand on Bokuto’s shirt. Bokuto dodges immediately. It’s a miracle that neither of them drop their Cane’s. “You licked me!”

“Shouldn’t have put your hand over my mouth,” Bokuto replies gleefully.

“They’re always like that,” Daichi says tiredly. “Anyways, we should go. It was nice meeting you, though.”

“Are you sure you don’t–”

“Yuuji,” Ennoshita says sharply, and Daichi has to hide a laugh when he sees how Terushima flinches. “Stop asking people for threesomes.”

Terushima sighs, leaning on Ennoshita once more. “Okay,” he says, voice small. “Sorry, Chikara.”

“Mmm.” Ennoshita smiles.

“Yeah, it was nice meeting you,” Yahaba agrees. “Have fun on your vacation.”

“Thanks!” Oikawa says. “By the way, I don’t think you look like a creampuff.”

“Finally,” Yahaba says. “Friendship ended with Futakuchi, now Oikawa is my best friend.”

“Traitor,” Futakuchi says.

“We’re going!” Daichi calls to Kuroo, who’s still chasing Bokuto. “We have to eat dinner, after all!”

“Okay!” Kuroo says. “It was nice meeting you all! Akaashi, sorry about Bokuto. He’s just dumb.”

“Ignore him, Akaashi! He’s just jealous that you’re funnier than he is!” Bokuto yells. He’s decently far away from the table now, but he’s still in earshot. 

“I enjoyed meeting you all as well,” Ushijima says. “See you around.”

With that, Daichi, Oikawa, Ushijima, Kuroo, and Bokuto finally go to their own table to eat their Cane’s.

“I liked them,” Oikawa says as they sit down. “But I think it would have been funnier to see Terushima flirt with Daichi.”

“Thank god he’s taken,” Daichi says, pouring sauce over his chicken fingers. “I could not handle more flirting.”

“Okay, but Bokuto flirting with Akaashi,” Kuroo points out. He shoves his toast into a container of Cane’s sauce before taking a bite. “That was amazing too.”

“Akaashi is so nice,” Bokuto says. “He really listens to me. I can tell. He remembered that I told him that we didn’t have any destination in mind.”

“They seemed more chaotic than we are,” Daichi muses. “I felt bad for Ennoshita.”

“From one dad friend to the other,” Kuroo says, snickering. “Daichi just knew who was in charge.”

“Perhaps we will see them again,” Ushijima says. “It’s interesting that this is the second time we bumped into them.”

“It must be fate,” says Bokuto. “I really hope I can see Akaashi again.”

“Maybe,” Kuroo says. “Maybe we’ll bump into them at a motel or something.”

“That would be the life,” Bokuto says dreamily. “Do you think Akaashi likes owls?”

“Oh my god,” Oikawa groans next to Daichi, and Daichi just laughs. “You have got to be kidding me.”

**Step Eight: Go Home, Because You Have to Face Reality Eventually**

“So today we’re heading back,” Daichi says, perched on the end of Oikawa’s motel bed, scrolling through his phone. Bokuto flops down next to him.

Oikawa groans from where he’s still under the covers. They’ve been trying rouse him for the past fifteen minutes. It’s been largely unsuccessful, Bokuto thinks.

“Are we really doing the whole drive in one day? Won’t that take, like, forever?” Oikawa whines.

“Fourteen hours, if we’re fast,” Daichi says.

“I’m not crowding between Ushiwaka-chan and Bo-chan for that long.”

“Come on, Oikawa.” Kuroo walks out from the bathroom, a towel slung over his neck, toothbrush still in his mouth. “If we leave soon, we can be back before midnight.”

“…I don’t want to go back to my empty apartment,” Oikawa grumbles. “I bet Iwa-chan already took his stuff.”

“We have to go back, find a new place, and move,” Bokuto points out. As much as he enjoyed this road trip, and their aimless driving through California, they need to go back before their senior year starts next week. “Plus, classes start soon.”

“You can spend the night at our place until we find our new place,” Daichi suggests.

Oikawa sighs but sits up. “Fine.” Then he looks around the room and narrows his eyes. “Where’s Ushiwaka?”

“He’s picking up Dutch and some breakfast,” Bokuto says cheerfully. “Don’t worry, we told him galaxy fish tea for you.”

“Thanks.” Oikawa rolls out of bed and groans. “Fourteen hours in Dai-chan’s Jeep? Really?”

“If we get tired, we can try and find a motel,” Daichi says. “But I’d prefer to do it in one day.”

“Daichi’s a monster,” Kuroo says. “One of us really has to get a car, and soon.”

“That would be you,” Oikawa scoffs. “You’re the only other one who has his license.”

“Ushijima has one!” Bokuto exclaims.

“For the last time, none of us, least of all Ushiwaka-chan himself, can fit in his stupid truck,” Oikawa grumbles, stomping into the bathroom.

“I could always drive for a bit,” Kuroo offers. “That way, Oikawa doesn’t have to be squished for so long.”

“That is the best idea you’ve ever had,” Oikawa calls.

“I could drive!” Bokuto exclaims. He does know how to drive, after all.

“Ever better!” Oikawa calls back.

“You don’t have a license,” Daichi tells him wryly. “I’d risk it if it was a short drive, but not for fourteen hours.”

“You really need to take your driver’s test,” Kuroo adds.

Bokuto sighs. “I know,” he mumbles, twisting his hands together. “I just. Forgot.”

“I guess we could book that once we get back,” Daichi remarks.

“It’s not a big deal, Bo-chan,” Oikawa calls from the bathroom. “I don’t have a license.”

“You don’t even how to drive,” Kuroo points out.

“I can too! It’s easy! You just press the pedals and turn the wheel!” Oikawa calls back.

“…this conversation feels familiar,” Daichi says. “Which reminds me! What happened that led to _Oikawa,_ the one who says he can’t drive because he’s gay, driving you two? When Kuroo has his license and we all know that Bokuto is the best driver here, in spite of not actually having his license? What did you three do?”

Bokuto gulps. Across the room, Kuroo freezes, his shirt still half tugged on over his body.

“Well?” Daichi prompts.

“Blood oath,” Bokuto squeaks out. No matter what, Daichi can never, ever know what happened that night.

“Bokuto,” Daichi says.

He will not crack. He cannot crack.

“Kuroo,” Daichi adds, switching his glare to Kuroo, who slowly finishes pulling his shirt down before looking away.

Tension fills the room as Bokuto looks at Kuroo, who just drags his hand across his throat, eyes wide.

“What hap–” But before Daichi can finish, there’s a little click as the door opens.

“I’m back,” Ushijima announces, and Bokuto nearly cries with relief. “Is Oikawa awake yet?”

“Yes!” Oikawa says, poking his head out of the bathroom. “What’d you get us?” 

“Pastries and Dutch,” Ushijima says. “You have an iced galaxy fish tea.”

“Great.” Oikawa steps back into the bathroom.

“Oh, Ushijima!” Bokuto cries, bouncing off the bed. “Give me my lemonade, please.”

“Here you are,” Ushijima says, handing it to him. Bokuto shoves the straw in and takes a long slurp, relishing in the cold sweetness.

“Dutch is the best,” Kuroo says, poking at his whipped cream monstrosity. Bokuto has no idea what concoction Kuroo chose this time. “Every drink I’ve had has been brilliant.”

“Thanks, Ushijima,” Daichi says, taking a sip of his iced coffee. It appears that he has been successfully distracted from the mystery of what happened the night Oikawa drove. Good. Bokuto plans on taking that secret to the grave. “Did you pack up your stuff yet?”

“Yes.” Ushijima looks back at the bathroom, where Oikawa is still in the process of getting ready. “Are we ready to leave?”

“Hopefully in the next hour,” Daichi replies.

“I’m going to miss this,” Bokuto declares, flopping back onto the now-empty bed. “I had the time of my life these past few days.”

“We really do have to get back, though,” Kuroo says. “Did you get your stuff?”

“Yup!” Bokuto points to his bag, which is sitting by the door, waiting for him to put in Daichi’s Jeep. “I’m all packed and ready to go!”

“Ugh, you should have woken me up sooner,” Oikawa complains as he leaves the bathroom. He grabs the first t-shirt he can from his bag and shoves it on. “I feel like I’m holding you all up.”

“We’re forcing you into the middle for fourteen hours. You deserved some sleep,” Daichi replies. “Also, I promise that we’ll stop at Cane’s at some point.”

“We better,” Oikawa says darkly. “Their chicken is the only thing that would make it kind of worth it.”

“Do you want me in the back?” Kuroo asks. “We can even give you the aux right away.”

“Yes,” Oikawa practically cries out. “That would be so much better, oh my god, why does the usual order have Ushiwaka-chan in the back?”

“Passenger gets aux cord and you hate his music,” Daichi reminds him. 

“Right,” Oikawa grumbles, shoving his pajamas and toiletries into his bag. “But that’s a dumb rule that we barely follow.”

“Also, you and Kuroo wrestle in the back too much.”

“If Oikawa wasn’t so annoying, we wouldn’t have that problem,” Kuroo declares.

“I still want passenger seat privileges,” Bokuto whines, cutting off whatever Oikawa was about to say. “It’s been six months; please give them back to me.”

“No.”

Kuroo whistles lowly. “Damn. That’s cold, Daichi.”

“I wasn’t kidding,” Daichi says calmly.

“I want Bo-chan to sit behind Dai-chan,” Oikawa announces, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Also, I’m packed.”

“That was fast,” Ushijima remarks, arching an eyebrow. “Are you sure you got everything?”

Oikawa shrugs. “I’m good at packing.” He pauses, then adds, “Also I didn’t take anything out last night.”

“Do one last check to make sure you got everything,” Daichi says. “It would suck if we left something behind now.”

“It would simply suck to be us,” Kuroo remarks.

“It would not,” Bokuto declares. He pushes himself off the bed and picks up his bag. “We just had the best days of our lives! We finally went on the road trip we always said we would go on; we roasted marshmallows on the beach, burnt photos of our exes, bought matching swimsuits, made some new friends, went to Six Flags for a day, memorized the Mamma Mia soundtracks, played beach volleyball, got Cane’s, and grew closer together as bros!” He finishes counting off their activities on his fingers and beams. “I’d say it was a wildly successful trip! If we forget something, oh well, that’s life for you!”

“It has been fun, hasn’t it?” Kuroo agrees. “I wish we didn’t have to go back.”

“Maybe we should solve all of problems with road trips,” Ushijima suggests. “I feel like it helped me a lot.”

“We’ll go on one after we graduate,” Daichi promises. “And hey! Maybe someone will have a bigger car by then. Then we won’t be squished in my Jeep.”

“Maybe I’ll get my license,” Oikawa says thoughtfully. “I can’t keep relying on you guys to drive me everywhere.”

“Woah,” Bokuto says. “That’s personal growth.” He beams. “Oikawa, we can get our licenses together!”

“…We could, huh,” Oikawa agrees. He grins. “Wouldn’t that be wild? The day we finally get our licenses?”

“Oh, that would be perfect,” Daichi says. “I’m so tired of driving us everywhere.”

“And Daichi ruined the moment,” Kuroo declares. “Let’s get going! The goal is to make it back before midnight!”

“How did I ruin the moment?” Daichi demands as Kuroo shoves them all out. Bokuto laughs as he rushes to Daichi’s familiar red Jeep. At this point it’s just as much of a home to him as his old apartment with Yukie.

Yukie. He sighs. It had been great while it lasted, truly. She had always been fun to hang around, and Bokuto knew that he would miss her.

But if he was being honest, he hadn’t really thought about her since the night on the beach.

“Bo-chan, stop thinking,” Oikawa declares, knocking into his shoulder. “What happened to this being the best days of our lives?”

“They have been,” Bokuto replies, moving out of the way so Oikawa can open up the trunk. “If I could freeze time, I would.”

“Yeah.” Oikawa puts his bag in and smiles. “I feel you on that.”

“Move over, other people need to put their stuff in,” Kuroo says, pushing past Oikawa.

“Rude!” Oikawa exclaims. “This isn’t even your car?”

“Where did Daichi go?” Bokuto asks.

“Check out,” Kuroo replies. “Which means that Bokuto needs to hurry up and get shotgun privileges.”

“Yes!” Bokuto cheers and rushes into the passenger side. “This is awesome!”

“There’s no way that’s going to last,” Oikawa says, sliding into the back. “Ugh, I cannot wait until it stops being all five of us and I can claim the passenger seat again.”

“Daichi’s going to kick you out,” Ushijima says as he sits down next to Oikawa. “You know that, right?”

“Yup!” Bokuto laughs. “But that’s part of the fun!”

“Besides, there’s no guarantee he’ll actually kick him out,” Kuroo adds. “Daichi is in a rush to get home.”

“Exactly!”

All too soon, Daichi shows up. He opens the trunk and yells, “Bokuto, get out of the passenger seat.”

“How did you know?” Bokuto exclaims.

“I can see your heads from here,” Daichi points out. “Also, I know you. And your passenger seat rights are revoked.”

“Daichi,” Bokuto whines. 

“Behave yourself, and I’ll consider giving them back to you at the end of the year.”

Bokuto hops out of the car. “Kuroo, go claim your spot!”

“Yes!” Kuroo slides out and grins as he climbs into the passenger seat. “Sorry, Bokuto, but this spot is definitely the best.” 

“You only like it because you can watch Daichi get a stress headache,” Oikawa accuses.

Daichi groans as he starts the car. “Maybe Kuroo should be banned from riding shotgun too.”

“I am good person; I do not deserve this slander,” Kuroo says.

“No, what’s saving you is that fact that you, Oikawa, and Bokuto are absolute nightmares when you’re all in the back,” Daichi replies.

“We’re not that bad,” Bokuto protests. 

Everyone turns to look at him.

“What?” Bokuto cries. “It’s not like we’ve ever caused Daichi to lose focus and crash!”

“All right, he makes a fair point,” Oikawa says. “We could be so bad that we cause Daichi to crash. The bar is on the floor.”

“I still think that that’s going to happen,” Daichi replies. “Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean that it’s impossible.”

“Have more faith in yourself,” Kuroo says. “You are a level-headed driver and you haven’t crashed yet.”

“It’s the yet that worries me.”

“If I can drive with Tendou in my truck, then you can manage the three of them,” Ushijima points out.

“How is Tendou, anyways?” Daichi asks. “I feel like I haven’t seen him a while.”

“He is doing well,” Ushijima replies. “He was very put out that I didn’t invite him on the road trip.”

Bokuto looks out the window and lets the sounds of his friends’ conversations wash over him. Kuroo finally plugs in his phone and puts on music (it's Bastille this time).

They stop at McDonalds for lunch, a bathroom break, and to stretch.

“There’s no way choosing to do this in one day is going to work out,” Oikawa declares, posting yet another video to his Snapchat. Bokuto takes advantage of his distraction to steal a fry.

“You have your own fries!” Oikawa shouts.

Bokuto laughs before swiping a few off of Kuroo’s tray. “It’s more fun this way!”

“Rude,” Kuroo says, snagging a few off of Bokuto’s tray. “But if you’re not eating yours…”

“Fine, fine,” Bokuto says. He hands Oikawa a replacement fry for the one that he stole. “Better?”

“Much,” Oikawa agrees, with a delicate sniff.

After lunch, they pile back in the car; only Kuroo’s in the back this time and Ushijima is in the front. Bokuto burps as soon as they start pulling out, causing Oikawa to give him a disgusted look before he reaches over and opens the window.

Bokuto closes it before they get on the freeway. The fresh air is nice, but he is no hurry to have his hair get blown around by the wind.

They manage to find a Cane’s for dinner, much to everyone’s delight. Bokuto does not steal anyone’s fries after receiving multiple death threats, one promise to burn his favorite sweatshirt, and two threats of bodily harm, although Ushijima does slide him a few extra fries.

Ushijima is the best bro. He’s also the only who never threatened Bokuto about fry stealing.

They don’t deserve Ushijima.

Daichi orders them back in the car as soon as they’re finished. “I think we can make it back,” he says.

“This is such a mistake,” Oikawa grumbles, scrunching up once more.

“…Yeah, I’m going to need more coffee,” Daichi admits. “But too late to back out now. We have committed.”

“I can drive if you get tired,” Kuroo offers.

“Might take you up on that,” Daichi agrees.

At some point, Bokuto must have fallen asleep, because he wakes up to the music playing quietly and Ushijima sitting in the driver’s spot. Kuroo is sitting in the passenger seat, scrolling through his phone, and Oikawa is slumped over on Bokuto’s shoulder. Daichi leans against the side door, eyes closed and mouth slightly open.

“Where are we? What time is it?” Bokuto asks softly, so he doesn’t disturb his friends.

“About an hour left,” Kuroo says. “Daichi’s an absolute madman. It’s also 11:17.”

“We have made excellent time,” Ushijima remarks, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. “I am quite impressed.” 

“I missed 11:11,” Bokuto mumbles. “Huh.”

“I think we should have a cuddle pile in the living room tonight,” Kuroo says. “Mostly because I don’t think I can make it to my bed.”

“How long has Ushijima been driving?” Bokuto asks. 

“An hour,” Kuroo replies.

“Daichi was getting quite tired,” Ushijima remarks. “He yawned three times in the same minute.”

“He does too much,” Bokuto says thoughtfully. “How much do we owe him in gas money?”

“Fuck,” says Kuroo. “That’s going to be a lot.”

“The price to pay for road trips, I guess,” Ushijima says tiredly. “We can work it out later.” 

“Oikawa, Daichi, wake up,” Bokuto says. “We’re back!”

“Oh, shoot,” Daichi says, sitting upright almost immediately. “Thanks for driving, Ushijima.”

“No problem,” Ushijima says. “You needed to get some sleep.”

“I can’t believe I’m so tired,” Oikawa complains as he slides out of the car. “All I did was sit in a car all day.”

“It be like that sometimes,” Daichi replies. He opens the trunk. “Get your things and then we can crash.”

“We’re having a cuddle pile in the living room tonight,” Kuroo says. He manages a tired grin. “It’s what we deserve.”

“Sounds good,” Daichi says. “Did we even put away the futons before we left?”

“Probably not. We were in a rush to get out of here,” Ushijima points out.

“Perfect. Less work for us,” Oikawa declares, leading them up to the apartment. “Who has the key? Someone get it; I don’t feel like grabbing your spare.”

They climb the stairs to their apartment, Daichi digging around for the apartment key as they walk.

“Shoot,” Daichi says. “Did I misplace it?”

“Hey,” Bokuto says suddenly, looking at the apartment. “Someone’s waiting for us!”

The person is hunched over in front of their door, but upon hearing Bokuto’s voice, the figure looks up. Their face is illuminated from the glow of a Nintendo switch in their hands, revealing dyed blonde hair with the roots clearly visible.

Kuroo inhales sharply.

“Kenma,” he says, striding to the front of the group. “What are you doing here?”

“Kuroo,” Kenma says, standing up. “I, um.” His golden eyes dart around nervously, and Daichi stops rummaging around his bag to watch. “I missed you.”

“Were you waiting for me?” Kuroo asks, sounding confused. “I told you that I’d be back tomorrow.”

“Shoyo said you left because you saw us kissing,” Kenma blurts out. He won’t look at Kuroo, just stares at his Switch. “But that wasn’t. That wasn’t what it looked like. Shoyo wanted to make Kageyama jealous, so I promised to help him. It didn’t mean anything.”

“What does this have to do with anything?” Kuroo asks. 

“Shut up before I lose my nerve,” Kenma hisses. His hands tighten around his Switch. “Shoyo showed me Oikawa’s Snap stories, and then we went and looked at Daichi’s, and Bokuto’s, and Ushijima’s, and yours, and you all ran away on a road trip and you guys were having fun and I was lonely and you didn’t tell me where you going. You didn’t tell anyone.” Kenma is breathing harder now, like he’s going to run out of steam soon. “And then Shoyo pointed out that Bokuto broke up with Yukie and Daichi broke up with Yui and I asked if this could be a heartbreak thing and Shoyo said that maybe you had a crush on me? And that was why you were gone. And it was too quiet when you never came over and I was lonely. I spent the past week wondering if I liked you and if you liked me too, and I realized that I don’t like it when you’re far away from me.”

“Kenma, I don’t understand,” Kuroo says.

Kenma shoves his Switch into his sweatshirt pocket and stomps over to Kuroo, before he grabs Kuroo’s shirt and kisses him.

“Go out with me, Kuroo,” Kenma says, hands still fisted in Kuroo’s shirt. 

“Okay,” Kuroo breathes out.

Bokuto’s jaw drops.

“Fuck!” Oikawa shouts in the stunned silence. “We burnt all of Tetsu-chan’s photos!”

Kenma’s eyes widen, as if he’d forgotten that the rest of them were there. “You guys-What?”

**Step Nine: Move Out of Your Old Place (And Get Rid of Things That Should Have Gone Ages Ago)**

“I still can’t believe that Tetsu-chan got a boyfriend out of the heartbreak trip,” Oikawa grumbles from his spot at their kitchen table. He shoves a spoonful of cereal in his mouth and glares at Kenma, who just shrugs. “The whole point of it was to get over our broken hearts.”

“I’m not moving in,” says Kenma tiredly. “I’m just helping Kuroo move.”

“Still.” Oikawa glares at him.

“Well, he was the only one who didn’t have an ex,” Bokuto points out. He pours orange juice into his cup. “Maybe he should have just talked to Kenma instead of running away.”

“He really should have,” Oikawa grumbles.

Kenma nods in silent agreement.

Ushijima just shrugs and washes his plate. “Well, there’s no use worrying about it. Besides, we had fun. I would say that it was worth it.”

“Kenma!” Kuroo calls. “Come hold this for me!”

Kenma pads out of the kitchen and into Kuroo’s room.

“They’re kind of gross,” Bokuto remarks. “Like, I’m sleeping on your floor, Kuroo.”

Oikawa snorts. “They don’t deserve rights.” He takes another bite of cereal. “When’s Tendou getting here?”

Ushijima shrugs. “He said he’d be at here in an hour.”

“He’s riding with you, right?” Daichi asks. Ushijima looks up and sees Daichi standing in the kitchen entrance, arms folded over his chest. “There won’t be room for him and our stuff.”

“We know that your Jeep only holds five people, Dai-chan,” Oikawa reminds him.

“I know. He knows, too,” Ushijima says. He grabs the dish towel and dries his plate. “Excuse me, I have a few items that still need to be packed.”

“Let me know if you need help!” Bokuto exclaims. Ushijima nods at him before going to his room.

He looks around his room. It’s mostly empty: the walls are bare, he already broke down his shelves, and his plants were safely brought over to the new apartment early this morning. However, his clothes are still hanging in his closet, so he makes his way over and begins the process of taking them down and packing them into his suitcase. It’s easy enough, albeit time consuming, and his thoughts wander as he makes his way through his closet. The past month has been surprisingly good to him: his classes have been relatively interesting (he has one all about soil science, and it’s easily his favorite); he is looking forward to properly moving into the new apartment he and his friends got; and of course, the road trip that he went on with Oikawa, Kuroo, Bokuto, and Daichi was easily the high point of his summer.

He couldn’t really ask for much else. All things considered, he is lucky to have befriended this group of people.

He grabs the last jacket out of his closet but freezes when he sees it.

The jacket isn’t anything unordinary on its own. It’s black denim, cropped at the waist, with a few scattered circular pins on it. There’s one with the bi flag, a black one with a pentagram, and a few others with various patterns.

But it’s not his.

It belongs to Semi.

Sometime during the first week of classes, one of Semi’s friends had come over and collected the few things that he had left with Ushijima. He had thought all of Semi’s things were gone.

Apparently not.

Ushijima slowly sinks to the floor. He’s supposed to be over him.

“Wakatoshi-kun,” Tendou sings from the door, and Ushijima jumps before looking up. “How’s packing?”

“I’m mostly done,” Ushijima replies.

“That’s good,” Tendou replies, entering his room. “What’s that…oh.” His voice trails off before he glares at the jacket. “That belonged to Semi-semi, didn’t it?” he asks. “Why do you have it? You would never wear something so ugly. I mean, look at those pins.”

“I thought he collected all of his things,” Ushijima says softly.

Tendou laughs a little before laying his hands over Ushijima’s. With a start, Ushijima realizes that his hands are twisting the denim up.

“It’s no good for you to have it,” Tendou tells him, a smile quirking up on his face. “After all, it’s too small for you.”

Ushijima forces his hands to let go of the fabric, and Tendou’s smile grows.

“What are you going to do with it, Wakatoshi-kun? Maybe Oikawa will fit it.” Tendou’s voice is light, his tone joking. “Although skulls aren’t his aesthetic.” He looks at Ushijima, still smiling, hands still covering his.

Tendou’s hands feel cold and his palms are slightly rough. Ushijima can feel his bones over the backs of his own hands.

“I should probably get rid of it,” Ushijima says after a moment of consideration. “After all, you’re right: it is too small for me.”

Tendou stands up. “Alright,” he says, and the coolness from his hands disappears. “We’ll add it to the pile of stuff to get rid of.” His smile softens. "Anything else? Do you want me to start taking things to your truck?”

“What do you think I’m missing?” Ushijima asks instead.

Tendou runs a hand through his flame-red hair. “Oh, Wakatoshi,” he says. “I don’t know why Semi cheated.” He drops back down to the floor and pulls Ushijima into a hug. “But to me? You’re my miracle boy, and you’ll always be enough in my eyes.”

“Thanks, Tendou,” Ushijima whispers.

“Always.” Tendou releases him and smiles, fond. “Now, I think Daichi was loading the three troublemakers into the car, so let’s see if we can get there before them, yeah?” 

Ushijima smiles. “You can start putting the boxes in my truck.”

“Got it!” Tendou jumps to his feet and spins around. “Miracle boy Satori is on it.” He shoots Ushijima a grin before picking up a random box and disappearing out of Ushijima’s room.

Ushijima looks down at Semi’s jacket. Tendou’s right: it is too small for him. He wonders why he had it.

He gets off his floor and makes his way to the living room, where there’s a pile of stuff that they’ll donate tomorrow. Kuroo is leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone.

“Oh, hey Ushijima,” Kuroo says. He arches an eyebrow at the jacket in Ushijima’s hands.

“It’s too small,” Ushijima explains, carefully placing it on the pile. “I have no use for it.”

Kuroo nods. “That’s fair,” he says. “You got anything else you want to dump?”

“If I find anything else, I will add it later,” Ushijima replies. “Tendou said Daichi was taking you guys over?”

Kuroo snorts. “Bokuto said I wouldn’t fit, so he and Oikawa are going first.”

“I see.”

“Yup.” Kuroo pockets his phone, runs his fingers through his hair, and flashes Ushijima a grin. “So, do you want help loading?”

“Please,” Ushijima says. “If we have space, I can bring some of your things over too.”

“Sure,” Kuroo agrees, and they head back to Ushijima’s room. With both him and Tendou helping, it doesn’t take too long to load up most things into the bed of Ushijima’s truck.

“I suppose I can’t put any of my stuff in, huh,” Kuroo remarks.

“Sorry,” Ushijima says.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” says Kuroo, placing a hand over his heart. “I was already abandoned by other friends. Ushijima, don’t forget about me when you’ve moved into your new place.” He punctuates his statement with a dramatic sniff.

Ushijima smiles. “You’re pretty memorable, Kuroo,” he replies.

Tendou comes over and leans against Ushijima. “Kuroo, Kuroo, Kuroo. I promise to make sure they build you a beautiful shrine in your honor.”

Kuroo snickers. “You’re the only one who loves me. Alright, I’m going to go back and guard the apartment from people who might want our stuff. Drive safely.” He turns around and heads back to their apartment.

Ushijima climbs into the driver’s seat. “Let’s go,” he says.

Tendou gamely climbs into the other side. “You have to hear about the new manga I started reading last night,” he says cheerfully as Ushijima drives them out of the parking lot. “It’s about this band and their adventures in forming it! I think you would really like it.” Tendou leans back and closes his eyes. “The main character is super dedicated to his music and he’s kind of mean but he means well. The other band members are super cool too! I think the drummer’s hot. If you read it, let me know what you think about him. Do you think I can find myself a hot drummer somewhere? That would be my ideal boyfriend.”

“You want a drummer for a boyfriend?” Ushijima asks. “I don’t know any drummers, but I can keep an eye out for one.”

Tendou opens his eyes and smiles. “Hm. Well, my future boyfriend doesn’t have to play the drums. What matters is that he’s kind and earnest, and he cares about the people around him. Ideally, he’d be strong enough to carry me, too. But enough about my future boyfriend.” He laughs a little and waves his hands. “The bassist would probably be your favorite character. He’s always taking care of the other band members, and he also runs most of the band’s social media. It’s because he’s the most responsible.” Tendou sings the word responsible and holds the last syllable for slightly longer than he should. “You like characters like that, right?” 

“You mean the caretaker type, right?” Ushijima asks. “That does seem to be a common theme among my favorite characters.”

“Yes!” Tendou shoots him a pair of finger guns. “So, what do you say, Wakatoshi? Does the bassist sound nice? If you say yes, I’ll show you a picture of him.”

Ushijima hums. “I think you would show me what he looks like regardless of my opinion,” he tells Tendou. He’s rewarded with a quick bark of laughter from Tendou, and when he glances over, he’s pleased to see Tendou smiling.

“Well, probably,” Tendou replies. “But I like telling you about these things. Besides, I think you would like the bassist the best.”

“Yes, and I don’t mind listening,” Ushijima says. “But we have arrived at our destination. You can show me later.”

“Already?” Tendou sits upright and looks around. “I see! Park close to the building so we don’t have to walk very far, okay?”

“Of course,” Ushijima replies. He pulls into a spot that’s relatively close by. “Help me unload?”

“Duh.” Tendou slides out of the truck and stretches. “Tell Oikawa or Daichi or Bokuto to come down and help us.”

Ushijima hands Tendou his phone. “Text them for me?”

“Right.” Tendou immediately types the message while Ushijima opens up the truck and starts taking things out. “They should be down soon!”

“Okay.” Ushijima hands a box to Tendou, who pretends like it’s too heavy and drops dramatically. The box remains safe in his hands, so Ushijima isn’t worried.

“Hey hey hey!” Bokuto calls, followed by Oikawa and Daichi. “You made it!”

“If you four have things covered, I’m going to get Kuroo and Kenma,” Daichi says. “We got Bokuto and Oikawa’s things unloaded.”

“Yeah, also, some idiot with stupid hair from the apartment upstairs came and helped us,” Oikawa says.

“He wasn’t stupid! And his hair was unique!” Bokuto exclaims.

“He was helpful, weird hair aside,” Daichi says. “He also said that his flat mates were currently out, but he’d make sure to bring them over if we needed help.”

“He got all of our numbers, too,” Oikawa adds. “He’s dumb but he seems nice. I have never met someone who is that good at getting people’s contact information before.”

“Cool,” says Tendou. “Seems like you’ll have good neighbors, at least.”

“I hope the rest of them are nice,” Bokuto says. “I also hope that they’re type who doesn’t have loud sex.”

“We have to tell Tetsu-chan that he’s not allowed to fuck in here,” Oikawa says. “I don’t care how long he’s pined over Kenma, if I have to hear him going at it, I will kill him.”

“Prison orange isn’t your color, Oikawa,” Bokuto reminds him.

Daichi groans. “Please don’t talk about killing Kuroo when he’s not around to hear it.”

Tendou and Bokuto burst into twin shrieks of laughter, and Oikawa covers his mouth to hide his giggles.

“Not to be rude, but I would like to get my stuff in the apartment,” Ushijima reminds them. “And I believe Daichi needs to pick up the one member of the apartment who we would kill.”

“Ooh, planning on a sacrifice?” Tendou asks.

“No,” Ushijima says. “But in case someone else wants to plan one…”

“Alright, Daichi, go get my ultimate bro,” Bokuto declares. “We’ll help Ushijima and Tendou! We have an apartment to move into to!”

“You got the key, right?” Daichi asks.

“Yup!” Bokuto pulls it out of his pocket. “Don’t worry about us!”

“He can’t help it,” Oikawa says. “He’s the dad for a reason.”

Daichi flips them off as he walks away.

“Alright!” Bokuto declares. “What do you want us to take?”

“Could you put these in my room?” Ushijima asks, handing him a box. Oikawa holds out his hands for something, and Ushijima hands him another box. "You guys can show Tendou the apartment, right?”

“Of course!” Bokuto says. “Tendou, Ushijima’s room is probably the smallest but it has the most light, which he wants for his plants. He brought them over this morning,” Bokuto starts, leading Tendou away. Oikawa waits for Ushijima to shut his trunk, before they start following their friends.

“It’s weird to think that we started college hating each other, and now we’re moving into the same place,” Oikawa remarks.

“I never hated you,” Ushijima replies. “I just didn’t understand you.”

“Well, I hated you,” Oikawa declares. “Anyways, I was thinking that you apologized, but I never did. So! To celebrate us moving in together…” Oikawa sighs and takes a deep breath. “Thank you for not hating me in spite of me making it extremely difficult.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Ushijima tells him. “But thanks.”

Oikawa’s mouth curls into a smile. “Yeah, yeah,” he says. “I’m not in the mood to be mushy; we did enough of that one the road trip. Plus, we have an apartment to unpack.”

They make it to their apartment and Ushijima places his stuff in his room. Tendou’s already cooing at the plants, calling them his babies and greeting each of them. Bokuto bounces back out to help Ushijima grab the rest of his things while Oikawa declares that he’s making them lunch. Ushijima reminds him not to let Tendou help.

By the time Daichi, Kenma, and Kuroo arrive, Ushijima has gotten his boxes out of his truck and in his room, and Oikawa has finished making lunch. Bokuto is lying on the living room floor, but he bounces back up to help Kuroo bring his stuff in.

Oikawa yells at them to eat. Daichi and Ushijima end up going back one more time to pick up the leftover items that couldn’t make it the first time they left. At some point, Bokuto puts on _Thor_ and stops unpacking his things. Kenma and Tendou leave sometime after that; Kenma because he was livestreaming later that day, Tendou because he had homework. Ushijima finds peace in setting up his room. He re-builds his shelves, puts items back where they belong on them, and hangs up his clothes. His plants seem to be doing well, too, much to his delight.

“Hey, Ushijima,” Daichi says, poking his head in his room. “Didn’t you say one of your friends lived in this complex? Was he going to come over?”

“He said that he would come over around seven,” Ushijima replies. “He and his flat mates are getting pizza.”

“Oh, they’re bringing over food?” Daichi asks. “That’s nice. I’ll tell Oikawa not to make us anything, then.”

Ushijima nods and Daichi vanishes, shutting the door behind him.

He hears the doorbell ring and then he hears Bokuto shout, “Koganegawa!”, so he leaves his room to meet their new neighbors.

“Hi!” Koganegawa announces. “We’re here! And we brought dinner!”

“Hello,” Ushijima says, watching as Koganegawa enters. “I’m Ushijima Wakatoshi.” Koganegawa has three black tufts of hair that stick up like feathers, but the rest of his hair is bleached blond. Ushijima understands why Oikawa thinks that he has dumb hair.

“Koganegawa Kanji! Hey, can I get your number? Just in case of emergencies or something,” Koganegawa asks, his phone already out.

Ushijima gives it to him. He thinks about Oikawa saying that Koganegawa was weirdly good at getting people’s numbers.

It’s definitely true.

There’s another knock, and Bokuto opens the door. “You must be…woah! Shirabu? Yahaba! I didn’t know you lived here!”

“Ah. Hello, Shirabu,” Ushijima says, turning away from Koganegawa to greet the newest members of their party. “You didn’t tell me that you lived with Yahaba.” 

“It gets better,” Shirabu says, and he steps aside to reveal a shorter, silver-haired man and a dark-haired man with blue eyes.

“Hello,” the silver-haired man says. “I’m Sugawara Koushi–call me Suga–and this is Kageyama!”

“Wait, Kageyama’s here?” Kuroo asks, leaving his room. “Kageyama! I didn’t know you lived here!”

“Was I supposed to tell you?” Kageyama asks, tilting his head slightly.

“Yahoo, Tobio-chan,” Oikawa calls. “If I had known you lived here, I wouldn’t have signed the lease.”

“I moved in about a month ago,” Kageyama says, glaring slightly at Oikawa. “But I wouldn’t have signed the lease if I knew you were moving in.”

“That’s so cool!” Bokuto cries. “Yahaba and Shirabu, we meet a…” His voice trails off as the sixth and final member of Koganegawa’s flat mates enter their apartment.

“Akaashi!” He exclaims. “Akaashi, how have you been?”

“B-bokuto-san.” Akaashi looks flustered. “I, um, good? How was the rest of your trip?” He looks around the apartment, almost as if he can’t quite believe that this is real. “Where’s Daichi?”

“He’s in the bathroom,” Bokuto declares. “How was the rest of your trip? Where’s Ennoshita, Terushima, and Futakuchi?”

“They don’t live with us,” Akaashi says. At this point, Ushijima stops paying attention to them, because he sees Daichi walk out of the bathroom and promptly trip, before face-planting on the floor.

Suga is the first one over to help him up. “You okay?” he asks, grinning. “That was quite a spill.”

“Yeah,” Daichi replies, sounding breathless. “I’m good.”

“Ushiwaka-chan,” Oikawa hisses in his ear. Ushijima has no idea where Oikawa came from. “I think Daichi has a crush.”

“He definitely fell because of Suga,” Kuroo adds from the other side. Ushijima isn’t sure where Kuroo came from, either. “This is going to be amazing. We’re going to get to watch Daichi try and flirt.”

“Dai-chan is good at a lot of things, but flirting isn’t one of them,” Oikawa says with barely contained glee. “This is going to be glorious.”

“Bokuto will be trying to flirt with Akaashi as well,” Ushijima points out. “I wonder who will be successful?”

As if he knew he was being talked about, Bokuto suddenly shouts, “Akaashi!! You finally got a phone?”

“What?” Akaashi asks.

Bokuto nods at the phone in Akaashi’s hands. “At the gas station, you told me that you didn’t have a phone. Did you finally get one?”

Akaashi’s jaw drops and his face turns bright red. Yahaba bursts into laughter while Shirabu covers his mouth to hide his snorts.

“What?” Bokuto asks. “What did I say? Akaashi told me he didn’t have a phone!” 

“Is–” Ushijima can feel Kuroo shaking against him. “Is that why you didn’t ask for his number when we saw them again?” Kuroo asks.

“Yeah!” Bokuto nods, completely serious. “If Akaashi doesn’t have a phone, then I’m not going to bother him about it! He doesn’t need one!”

“…Bokuto-san,” Akaashi says, in voice that sounds some mixture of awed and embarrassed. “I can give you my number.”

**Step Ten: To New Beginnings**

Oikawa loves his friends, but sometimes, he wishes that he hadn’t agreed to move in with them.

Don't get him wrong; he loves them very much, and there's no where else he'd rather be!

It’s just, Kuroo is constantly draping himself over Kenma now that he knows that Kenma actually likes him back. Oikawa can’t believe that development; after they went through all that effort of moving on and helping Kuroo get over him, Kenma shows up and kisses Kuroo right after declaring that he liked him.

_Oikawa had convinced Kuroo to burn their photos._

Granted, Kenma had thought the whole situation was funny, but still. Oikawa kind of felt like an asshole.

But it wasn’t just Kuroo who was moving on. Bokuto and Akaashi had been dancing around each other all semester. But Bokuto clearly had no idea what he wanted from Akaashi, and it was increasingly obvious that Akaashi was too nervous to make a move.

To be fair, Akaashi had apparently told Bokuto that he didn’t have a phone when they first met at the gas station, so Oikawa could sympathize. The way Bokuto had so earnestly believed it must have left Akaashi feeling horribly embarrassed. So, Oikawa supposed that he could forgive Akaashi for not doing anything.

Ushijima had something going on with Tendou too, although Oikawa knew that Tendou had liked Ushijima for a while. And Ushijima got his heart shattered by Semi. Tendou knew how to wait.

Oikawa supposed that he couldn’t fault Tendou for not saying anything yet.

And Daichi! …well, actually, Oikawa had no complaints about Daichi not doing anything. He’d fallen (literally) for Suga, and watching Daichi struggle to behave like a normal person was, admittedly, hilarious. Who would’ve thought Daichi–one of the most responsible and capable people Oikawa had ever met, save his kitchen skills (which were disastrous at best)–would end up being the absolute worst at flirting? Oikawa had started teasing Suga about it.

He actually liked Suga, and if he wasn’t still hung up Iwaizumi, he would be tempted to try something. Although Daichi would probably lose it if he did. 

In short, Oikawa might love his friends, and want them to be happy, but seeing the careful way they danced around each other was infuriating him when he still desperately missed Iwaizumi.

The semester was over now–Oikawa had finished his last final earlier today–and he was meeting up with Yahaba to get dinner before leaving for break.

Which reminded him: Yahaba was inviting his not-boyfriend to come along, too.

See? Even Yahaba had someone, although admittedly it sounded a lot like a love-hate relationship, from what he’d heard from Yahaba along with their other friends. Futakuchi and Terushima were of the opinion that Yahaba had hate-fucked the mysterious Kyoutani at least once; Ennoshita, Suga, and Koganegawa said that Yahaba was probably pissed that he liked Kyoutani and vice versa; Shirabu said that Kyoutani was the only person who Yahaba hated more than him; Kageyama said that one time Yahaba pinned Kyoutani to the wall and if he hadn’t coughed he was pretty sure they would have fucked right there.

It just felt like the universe was reminding Oikawa that Iwaizumi had left him, because he was insufferable and clingy and annoying. It didn’t matter how many times Daichi and Bokuto and Kuroo and Ushijima told him that they enjoyed his company; Iwaizumi had been his oldest friend first and foremost and if he could leave, who was to say the others wouldn’t, as well?

“You’re being negative again,” he mutters to himself. “Where’s Yahaba?”

As if summoned by Oikawa’s thoughts, Yahaba appears, unwinding an aqua scarf from his neck.

“Hey,” he says. “Were you waiting long?”

“Nope.” Oikawa smiles at Yahaba. “How were your finals?”

“Horrible. I’m pretty sure I failed one,” Yahaba replies. “By the way, Kyoutani said he was bringing a friend along. Is that okay?”

“Sure,” Oikawa says. “Who is he?”

“No clue.” Yahaba shrugs. “Just some dude in his bio class that he really looks up to. Apparently, this guy’s been moping all semester, which, according to Kyoutani, is pretty unusual.”

“Huh.” Something about this sounds familiar, almost as if Oikawa is forgetting a key piece of information, but he doesn’t know what it could possibly be. “When will they get here?”

“Five minutes, according to Kyoutani,” Yahaba says. “Got any break plans?”

“I’m going home,” Oikawa tells him. “I’ll bother my sister and see how much my nephew has grown.”

“Oh, you have a nephew?” Yahaba asks. “How old is he?”

Oikawa shrugs. “Takeru? He just turned thirteen. Hopefully he isn’t too cool to hang out with me, now~”

“Nice.” Yahaba grins. “I have no idea what teenagers are into these days.”

“I’m going to purposely mess up memes,” Oikawa tells him. “Maybe I’ll even challenge him to a dance-off.”

“You’ll lose,” Yahaba replies.

“Yahaba! Have you no faith in me? Do you really think that I would lose to a thirteen-year-old in a dance off?” Oikawa cannot believe the slander.

“Yes,” Yahaba says bluntly. “Your nephew is going to kick your ass. I hope he records it so I can watch you lose.” 

“Rude!” Yahaba only laughs, and Oikawa can’t help but stick out his tongue in response. “Fine, since you don’t take me seriously, tell me what you’re doing over break.”

Yahaba shrugs. “Going home too. I don’t have any real plans, honestly. I don’t have any siblings, but my parents and I will probably visit my aunt. Nothing exciting.”

“Ah.” Oikawa tilts his head. “I didn’t know you were an only child. You seem like you’re a middle child.”

“I have a lot of cousins,” Yahaba says. “And I’m actually right in the middle, age-wise? So, I guess in that regard, yeah, I’m a middle child. But my parents just had me.”

“That makes sense.” Oikawa leans back in his chair. “I hope–”

He’s cut off by the appearance of a familiar blond man.

“Yahaba,” the man says, eyes hard. “You didn’t tell me your friend was Oikawa Tooru.” He spits out Oikawa’s name like it’s poisonous.

It’s been a while, but Oikawa could never forget that distinctive blond hair, with two black stripes running through it.

Which means…

Oikawa looks behind Kyoutani and makes eye contact with the man who abandoned him.

“Oikawa?” Iwaizumi asks, his eyes widening.

Oikawa smiles weakly. “Yahoo, Iwaizumi…Mad Dog-chan…” He waves limply.

Saying Iwaizumi instead of Iwa-chan hurts. It feels wrong in his mouth.

(Seriously, who did he piss off to deserve this?) 

“What’s wrong with Oikawa?” Yahaba asks, clearly unaware of the land mine he is stepping in. “I met him on my road trip this summer, and he lives in the apartment below us. He’s perfectly nice.”

“Iwaizumi is my ex,” Oikawa says, rubbing his temples. “Long time no see, Iwaizumi.”

Beside him, Yahaba’s face forms a perfect O. Kyoutani looks ready to punch someone.

Oikawa just stares at Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi’s still beautiful as ever, even with something constipated and angry flashing across his face as he struggles to find words.

“We are not fucking tonight,” Iwaizumi blurts out, face turning red, and Oikawa wants to scream. Yahaba has no idea that he and Iwaizumi used to fight, avoid each other for as long as they could stand it, and then promptly fuck each other instead of actually confronting the issue.

The fucking was mostly Oikawa’s fault. The inability to talk about feelings, however, was all Iwaizumi.

“Of course not,” Oikawa says, tentatively, carefully. Even now, he can see the tense line of Iwaizumi’s shoulders, and he desperately wants to run his hands over it and soothe the tension in his body. “But…would you be down to talk sometime? Like actually talk.”

Every line in Iwaizumi’s body is screaming with discomfort. Oikawa is waiting for Iwaizumi to say no.

But Iwaizumi slowly, deliberately sits down. “Kageyama said that you moved into the apartment below his?” he asks, a mixture of a question and a statement.

Oikawa smiles sharply, but he knows it’s fake, and he can tell that Iwaizumi knows it too. “With Dai-chan and Tetsu-chan and Bo-chan and Ushiwaka-chan, yes.”

Kyoutani finally sits down, right next to Yahaba. “Huh,” he mutters, and out of the corner of his eye, Oikawa can see Yahaba nodding. He ignores them in favor of focusing on Iwaizumi.

“What about you?” he asks. “Are you still living with Mattsun and Makki?”

Iwaizumi shrugs. “Yeah,” he says, and the corners of his mouth start curling into that mean smile that Oikawa loves so fucking much. “Although I’m reminded of just why we moved out every day.” 

Oikawa’s grin loses its edge and he actually laughs. “Yeah,” he says, snickering. “Out of all the places you could have gone to, you chose their place? What an idiot you are, Iwa-chan.”

He freezes when the nickname slips out, but Iwaizumi doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, he groans in spite of the grin that is climbing across his face. “I’ve made some bad decisions but voluntarily moving back in with them is definitely the worst,” he says. “How was your semester, Oikawa?”

He looks up, mirth in his eyes, and Oikawa wonders how he could have ever even _tried_ to get over Iwaizumi when he knows that no one will ever look at him in the same way that Iwaizumi does.

“Well,” Oikawa starts. “If you’re willing to listen…I have quite the story.”

Iwaizumi smiles. “I can listen.”

Oikawa launches into a summary of his semester, and as he does–

As he does–

Iwaizumi wonders why he ever left.

**Author's Note:**

> hello wow where do i even start??? this is literally the result of a four-day writing madness. it's almost 5 am as i type this out. if u made it to the end, congrats!! im not even sure that this fic makes sense. 
> 
> this was originally supposed to be just captain squad, but the next gen captains just kind of? drove up to the gas station and were like "hey we're here we're queer and we're gonna flirt" so yeah? shirabu was totally hitting on ushijima btw but ushijima didn't notice. akaashi gay panicked and was like "i dont wanna give my number to the hot stranger at the gas station bc theres no way this will work out" and it fucking backfired. terushima will flirt with everyone but he likes ennoshita the best (he also,,,maybe likes jealous ennoshita,,,horny bastard i love him tho). futakuchi is here to cause problems on purpose. yahaba refuses to admit that he like kyoutani (he and kyoutani need to work on their communication skills lbr). 
> 
> anyways,,,as for the captains,,,  
> Kuroo: listen i can and will use kenhina as a plot device; i have no shame. also hinata makes kuroken fascinating from kuroo's perspective,,,like,,,there's no way kuroo isn't a little insecure about that. kenma doesnt know that he likes kuroo until he's gone is also,,,lowkey a fave kuroken trope of mine,,,someone stop me.  
> Daichi: first of all, i think michimiya is sweet. do not hate on her. secondly, daichi does not know how to flirt. he wouldn't know romance if it hit him in the face with a neon sign. suga is greatly amused, but also annoyed bc he wants daichi's dick already damnit (oikawa makes fun of him for being so thirsty for what he calls "a dense piece of ass"). suga eventually asks him out, nice and straightforward like, and they are happy forever  
> Bokuto: do not hate on yukie either bc she is very nice and i did her dirty here. anyways, bokuto fell in love with akaashi the moment he bumped into him at the gas station. akaashi fell in love with bokuto when bokuto very loudly and sincerely declared that he thought that akaashi didn't have a phone. they proceed to spend the next year awkwardly dancing around each other and trying to figure out what they want. once they get there, tho, they're the goddamn mushiest couple you have ever seen (it's cute. bokuaka is cute. i love them).  
> Ushijima: ,,,his ex was originally shirabu before 1) i realized that shirabu probably wouldn't cheat on ushijima, 2) i actually like ushishira and 3) the ngc drove into the fic. so i switched it to semi. ushisemi is not something i ship so i had no problem destroying that relationship lmao. but pls dont hate on semi bc he's probably my fave shiratorizawa kid (its a tie between him and tendou lol). speaking of tendou, tendou has had the biggest crush on ushijima since forever. ushijima will get there soon (he might already be there, but he hasn't realized that he is yet...???)  
> Oikawa: okay look i love iwaoi and i didn't have the heart to break them up bc i cant imagine the two of them without each other but also they fight a lot and i was like "...there is potential and i will tap into it". neither of them fell out of love while they were on break and they get back together (for the final time uwu) surprisingly quickly after the events of this fic. also iwaizumi actually saved the godzilla plushie. 
> 
> the manga tendou was talking about is loosely based off of given lmao
> 
> this is set on the west coast? i couldnt commit to a proper place but i think they go to school in portland and they drive down to la. i ended up skipping like three days worth of road trip shenanigans, sorry. 
> 
> completely unrelated tidbit that has nothing to do with the fic: the pinch servers (semi, yamaguchi, kinoshita, and himekawa) are in a band together in this au. semi does guitar, yams is the drummer, kinoshita is on bass, and himekawa sings. idk why u needed to know that but there you go. 
> 
> if u read ALL of this, you deserve a gold medal. i hope it brought u joy. it's officially past five am now. i need to sleep.
> 
> edit: MY FRIEND POINTED OUT THAT I BARELY EXPLAINED DUTCH AND CANES SO. Dutch Brothers is like Starbucks but better (i think its a west coast thing). Cane's is a fast food place that only sells chicken tenders (with coleslaw, toast, and a special dipping sauce that is amazing). i've been to cane's like exactly once but i think about it all the time.


End file.
